Howl at the Midgar Moon II: Plague of Midgar
by joestew2412
Summary: Sequel to Howl at the Midgar moon. Advent Children story line.  How will Sephiroth be stopped without the Holy materia? Life after the after life? ZackXAerith Cloud XTifa
1. Chapter 1

Howl at the Midgar Moon II: The plague of Midgar

AN- Hey guys! This is the opening to the next installment of the story! This chapter will probably be shorter mainly because I just wanted to provide a link for the next story. Again sorry for the long wait!

LINE_

Aerith opened her eyes as she laid in bed. It had been two years after the event which had been dubbed "Meteor". She smiled as she looked at the old photo on her night table. It was the old wrinkled photo of her and Zack. "I miss you everyday Zack…it hurts as if I lost you yesterday…Cloud said it would get better with time…but I don't think it will." Aerith said as she sat up. She instantly winced in pain and grabbed her arm.

Geostigma.

The planet had been plagued by the disease after Meteor. Many blamed Shinra for the new epidemic but others knew that they were not the cause. The planet had always had mako and Geostigma never seemed to be in any history books. Aerith and the others believed that it was caused by the collision between the holy/lifestream and the meteor.

But Aerith had a very bad case of Geostigma. Many doctors were confused on how she still was alive. The black ailment had run up Aerith's back and onto her left arm. What was worse was the Geostigma completely cut her connection with the planet.

Aerith was startled as Cloud opened the door. "I hope I didn't wake you…I thought I heard you moving around. Tifa's down stairs cooking breakfast…then I'll take you to your church."

Aerith smiled. She had not been back to the church in years. The flowers reminded her of Zack, so she pushed off going there as long as she could. "Ok…thank you Cloud."

Cloud nodded. His demeanor had greatly changed after the loss of Zack. He became very quiet and firm. Cloud had started a mercenary business, but it quickly ran dry after he and Barret slayed the last of the WEAPONS. Money had become tight so he started a delivery service to feed everyone and to pay off the mortgage of the new home in Edge. Aerith frowned as Cloud walked away. He spent nearly all his free time in the basement working on something. Cid had helped him transport something there, but no one knew what it was. Cloud had the basement locked at all times. Something Zack would have frowned upon.

Aerith let out a sigh and put on a pink knit sweater to cover her Geostigma. She walked down the stairs gingerly and walked into the kitchen. "Can I help?"

Tifa smiled as she heard her friend's voice. "Good morning. I hope you slept well."

"Yeah…Can I help?" Aerith asked quickly changing the subject. She had recurring nightmares of losing Zack. But the nightmare that disturbed her most was Sephiroth's image on top of the Shinra tower along with three other men with silver hair.

"You go rest. Everyone is waiting for you in the other room. Barret's getting ready to leave for a few months, so Marlene is a little emotional. She loves you so I'm sure you'll cheer her up!" Tifa said as she shoed Aerith out of the kitchen.

Aerith walked into the bar where everyone sat. She smiled and waved at the others as she sat down. "Hey guys…good morning."

"Morning darlin'" Barret said with a smile. He had been extremely nice to Aerith after the loss of Zack. Her screams still haunted the man.

Aerith did not say anything more and just sat at the table and waited for her meal. Cloud looked over at her with a heavy heart. He knew what was going through her mind. "Hey Aerith, why don't you and me go to the church early." Cloud asked with a smile.

"But what about breakfast…" Aerith said feeling guilty about leaving.

"I have some breakfast bars in the compartment of the bike…." Cloud said as he realized that the bike had once been Zack's.

"Ok…thank you Cloud." Aerith said as she stood up from the table. "I'll see you later everyone."

LINE_

Cloud cut the ignition of the bike outside the church. He helped Aerith off the bike and led the way to the door. He turned and looked at the girl as he place his hands on the large doors. "Are you sure you want to be here?"

"Yes I'm sure Cloud. Thank you for caring so much. But there's nothing in there that will upset me." Aerith said as she pushed the door open.

Both froze as they looked into the distance. The flowers were alive and healthy. But what disturbed them was what lay in the center of the flowers.

The Buster Sword.

The sword had been lost in the battle of Midgar. It had fallen from Zack's hands and seemingly so lost forever. But the sword had fallen in-between the places and crashed through roof of the church. Aerith had walked right up to the sword stepping on her precious flowers. Her hand touched the handle on the blade. Her eyes began to water as she looked at Cloud. "Cloud…are sins….ever forgiven…"

"What do you mean…" Cloud asked.

"I never told Zack that I loved him when he was dying…and all the things he went through…I wasn't good to him…" Aerith said as she began to cry.

"Aerith…he wouldn't blame you…you know that…" Cloud said as he placed a hand on the girls shoulder. Cloud's phone began to ring in his pocket. "Strife Delivery service…..ok….where to… you got it." Cloud shut his phone. "Aerith…"

"Go…I'll call Tifa for a ride when I'm done." Thank you Cloud.

LINE_

AN- actually that is all for now. Chapter one will be up later this week.


	2. Chapter 2

Howl at the Midgar Moon II

Chapter one

LINE_

AN- Sorry for the delay everyone! I had to do a lot of changing in this chapter. I wasn't happy with the amount of POV changes and how much happened. I Did get rid of a lot and I do plan on putting more about the gaps in flashbacks though out the story. But this chapter is the intro to the very beginning of advent children! Review please!

LINE_

Everything felt blissful.

Not a worry in the world.

Something that every man searched for…peace. Zack had finally found it.

Although it meant leaving those who meant most to him behind. But the thoughts of their safety were more comforting than a mothers touch. It was all he needed.

"Aerith….Cloud….you're safe." Zack found that his lips were moving but words were not spoken.

Zack smiled as he felt himself feel weightless. 'It feels like I'm floating…floating in water…there's a gentle flow…but it's hard to open my eyes…"

What only felt like minutes to Zack were years in the living world. It began to disturb Zack why he could not watch over his friends and loved ones as Angeal had done. He had not dissolved so it meant something was going on but he could not explain. But his thoughts were quickly interrupted as he felt a firm hand grab his throat.

"Zackary…wake up…nap time is nearly over." The cold voice rang as he lifted the dark haired man.

"Sephiroth…how…" Zack said as he forced his eyes open. His surroundings were no longer blissful. His peaceful rest had been interrupted. He no longer felt weightless. He felt heavy. He now stood with a silhouette of Nibleheim. The heat from the fires could be felt.

"Excellent question…My survival… I understand…but yours…is puzzling." Sephiroth said as he place a hand on his chin. It had disturbed the former General of the presence of his rival. It had given him great joy to watch from above as Zack lost his life. The cries of his loved ones were like music to his ears.

"You won't survive for long! I will kill you again!" Zack said as he reached for his sword.

Nothing but air.

"Don't bother…we are merely projections of our life-force within the lifestream." Sephiroth said as he gave Zack a stare. Zack's solving skills annoyed him. A man with far less intelligence had beaten him. A score that needed to be settled once he was alive once more.

"So we are in the lifestream…but why haven't we dissolved?" Zack asked.

"That is my secret… although….you should have dissolved. Perhaps it is the blood of the ancient's that flow through our veins that gives us an opportunity…" Sephiroth said with a great grin.

"But you're not an ancient…and I'm just an artificial one…."

Sephiroth grinned as he grabbed his former subordinate and ignored his questioning. "You should see what you've been missing…It's been quite the show down there…"

Zack's eyes widened as images began to pour into his mind.

LINE_

_Aerith, Cloud and Tifa stood outside the hut with heavy hearts. Zack's parents deserved to know the truth. Aerith reached out a weak and shaky hand and knocked on the door. Within moments the doors opened with aging women in the doorway. She smiled as she looked at the group. "Thank goodness you are all safe! We worried so much about you when you…were…gone…" The women's face turned gray as she looked into Aerith's eyes. She could see the heartbreak in the young women's face. "Where's Zack…" Zack's mother asked with great fear._

"_Zack…Did I hear someone say Zack?" Zack father and Martin walked to the doorway. _

"_Misses Fair can we come in…" Aerith asked holding back tears. _

"_No…not until you tell me where my son is!" Zack's mother yelled._

"_Come in, come in. Don't mind her." Zack's father said as he ushered the group into the house._

_Aerith sat in the couch next to Tifa and Cloud. All of them had eyes of pain and sorrow. "We came here to tell you that…your son….passed away…" Aerith said as the dam broke. Tears began to fall down her cheeks and onto her lap._

"_How did he die…?" Zack's father asked as he held his wife who was overwhelmed with grief._

_Aerith began to sob as she turned to Tifa who held her tightly. Cloud turned and looked at Zack's father and spoke up."Your son fought Sephiroth bravely…he killed him but was heavily wounded…he died of his wounds." Cloud said as he lied. He did not have the heart to tell his parents that their son had died the same way he had years ago. Cloud could not force the words from his lips…he had failed Zack._

"_That's just like our boy…too stubborn to ask for help…and always putting others first…" Zack's father said._

"_Your son saved the planet sir." Tifa said as she held Aerith. "It was an honor to have known him…he was the best man I have ever known…he was like a brother to me."_

_Zack's father let out a sigh as he held back tears. "Thank you for telling us…I know that it must be hard on you to bring us this horrible news…you may leave now." _

_The three did not speak as they left the house. They stopped into their footsteps as they heard three adults wale inside the hut. It was a bone chilling cry that caused the neighbors to poke their heads out the door. _

_LINE__

"_Cloud come to bed!" Tifa yelled down in the basement .Cloud walked up the stairs and walked right passed Tifa. He avoided all eye contact. "Cloud what are you working on down there?" _

"_A sword…" Cloud answer was short._

"_Can I see it?" _

"_No."_

"_Why not? You've been so secretive and quiet ever since…" Tifa did not finish her sentence._

"_It's just…" Cloud stopped himself before he could speak._

_Tifa let out a sigh as she hugged the blond man. Her arms wrapped around him but his arms never returned the gesture. Tifa frowned. "Let's go to bed. You could use the rest. Our bed is nice and warm…you could use the relaxation." Tifa said as she tried to kiss him. Cloud turned his cheek._

"_I'm going to shower…then I think I will sleep in the guest room." Cloud said not making any eye contact. He walked away from Tifa and disappeared._

_Tifa began to cry as she watched the man she loved walk away. Cloud had broken from the guilt. He was no longer the man she loved. He was only the shell. His feelings, his emotions…his being was lost. _

_That was the last time Tifa and Cloud showed any affection to one another._

_LINE__

"Wow…they are a mess…" Zack said as Sephiroth released him. Zack felt his heart ache at the sight of the breakup of Tifa and Cloud. He could tell that they really did love one another but his death seemed to have poisoned Cloud's mind with nonsense.

"Indeed they are…It's wonderful to see." Sephiroth said with a grin.

Zack looked at the man with hateful eyes. "what is this…your way of torturing me?"

"Oh…I saved the best for last." Sephiroth said as he grabbed Zack's arm.

LINE_

_Aerith walked into her bed room at the new Seventh Heaven. She lay on the bed face down into her pillow as thoughts of her love poured in. It had only been days after the loss of Zack and it stung more than the day before. Aerith had asked Cloud to leave her alone and removed any items she held that were Zack's. The memories were too painful to bear. _

_Seeing Cloud only reminded her of Zack and the things she had done to hurt him. It was easier to stay in seclusion. _

"_Aerith! Come down for dinner!" Tifa shouted._

_Aerith opened her door slowly and walked to the stairs. "I'm not hungry right now…maybe later…"_

_Tifa frowned at her friend. She could see the wound was still fresh. But letting her be alone was not an option. "It can just be you and me…how's that sound?"_

_Aerith forced a smile. "Okay….ugh!" Aerith yelled as she gripped her arm tightly. Images of Zack poured into her mind as she blacked out and fell down the stairs. A seizure caused by Geostigma. _

"_Aerith! Cloud help!" Tifa yelled as she tended to her friend._

_LINE__

Zack looked at Sephiroth with a puzzled look. "What was that black stuff on her arm? Why did she pass out?"

Sephiroth smiled as he walked away and faded. "Let's just say it's my little gift to the planet…"

Zack wanted to run after the man but he could not help it. Things began to get bright.

LINE_

Aerith sat next to her flowers and smiled at them briefly. They were scarred from the large sword in the middle. A painful reminder of Zack and the place they had first met. Aerith began to break down into tears. She no longer wanted to tend the flowers. He church had become more of a memorial of Zack.

Aerith began to feel angry with the planet. It had taken the only man she loved and it cut her connection. She felt used. But something needed to change. Aerith untied her bow and pulled out the holy materia. She rolled the materia in her hands and began to pray.

"Please give back my Zack…he was the glue that kept everyone together…he held me together…" Aerith said as she began to plead to the planet. "What if the planet needs to be protected…Cloud isn't in the right state of mind to fight…I…we…the planet needs Zack." Aerith said aloud as he materia began to glow.

She focused all her energy into the sphere contiunly praying into the orb. She could only hope that the planet would hear her pleas. After hours the girl opened her eyes and gasped.

"**Okay My child…he will be needed in the near future….but it will come at a high cost…bringing him back would put the planet's safety in jeopardy."**

"Yes I'm sure!"Aerith said excitedly not understanding the danger she was putting mankind in.

"**Very well…"**

Aerith closed her eyes and focused on the orb. It began to glow brilliantly as wind began to spiral around the Buster sword. Flower petals flowed through the wind as a bright light began to engulf the sword. The Holy materia shattered in her hands. Moments later Aerith eyes met a pair of Mako blue eyes. She smiled until she felt a sudden pain in her arm and back. It was the most violent attack from the Geostigma Aerith had ever had before. Everything got tight and dark as the flower girl lost consciousness.

LINE_

Zack felt as though he had leaned a chair too far back. Everything got bright, unnaturally bright. Wind began to wipe violently as he lost all sense of direction.

He opened his eyes.

They felt as though he had never opened them before…almost as though he had been reborn. Zack tightened his hands around a familiar object. "It…can't be…" Zack said as things began to focus. His eyes met Aerith's emerald eyes. She had appeared to be ill and under weight. Zack felt his heart beat quickly. Faster than it had ever done before. "Aerith…" Zack said barely audible.

Zack felt his heart stop as he watched the girl fall over into the flowers. Zack ran over to her and held her in his lap. "Aerith! Aerith can you hear me?"

Zack began to panic as he shook the girl and got no response. He quickly searched her pockets and pulled out her phone. He ran through the contacts stopped on Tifa. He pressed the call button and waited impatiently for an answer. "Come on pick up…pick up!" Zack yelled into the phone as someone answered the phone.

"Hello…Seventh Heaven. How can I help you?" A young girl's voice rang into the receiver.

"Who's this…" Zack asked confused.

"Marlene… who's this?"

"Oh you're Barret's daughter. Where are you guys located? Are you in the slums? What sector?" Zack asked.

"No. We are located in Edge."

"What the hell is Edge?" Zack asked.

"Are you sick? Do you have Geostigma? Only someone who was ill or dead wouldn't know what Edge is. It's the new city just outside of Midgar." Marlene said.

Zack paused for a moment at the 'dead' comment. He wanted to argue but he knew he did not have time. "What street are you on? I'm an old friend of your dads and Tifa's. I'm in a hurry and it's important."

"Oh. Ok. We are located at Seventh Street and Meteor way. Number 777. I think the number seven is important or something…I don't know. See you later…who's this again…"

Zack hung up before he let her finish her sentence. Zack lifted Aerith and the Buster Sword and sprinted towards the door.

LINE_

"Who was that Marlene?" Tifa asked.

"I don't know. He hung up before he gave me his name. But he said he was an old friend…but he didn't know where we lived. I thought all of our friends knew where we lived."

"They do…" Tifa said as she began to feel concerned. "Marlene…I want you to go to your room and lock the door. Make sure Denzel is in there with you." Tifa said as she quickly put on her gloves. Tifa ran to the phone and immediately called Cloud. It rang and rang…no answer. Tifa slammed the phone down as she heard the wood on the porch moan from an incoming visitor.

The door was kicked open and Tifa jumped into action. Each of her swings missed the intruder until she felt a boot to her chest. The kick sent her flying into the bar.

"Jezz… your bar must be empty all the time if that's how you greet guests…." The stranger said as he walked out of the bright light form the door. "Sorry about the door Tif…" Zack said as he realized that he had broken it down.

Tifa rubbed her eyes as she looked at the man. He eyes began to water as words seemed to fail her. "Zack…"

"Yep in the flesh…no pun intended." Zack said with a smile.

"How…" Tifa asked bewildered.

"I'll do my best to explain later but something's wrong with Aerith. Help." Tifa ran over to the women in his arms.

"What happened?" Tifa asked worriedly.

Zack ignored her mindless questions. "Where is her bed?"

"Up here. Follow me." Tifa said as she ran up the stairs.

Zack followed her into a room and laid his love down gently on the bed. "Why won't she wake up?"

"People with Geostigma pass out from time to time. But they usually wake up after a few minutes." Tifa said as she looked at her friend. "How long has she been out?"

"45 minutes…maybe more. It took me awhile to find this place." Zack said as he put his hand on his chin.

"That's not good…they usually wake up after a few minutes." Tifa said with a concerned look on her face. Hers was quickly matched with one from Zack. "We should call a doctor…"

"Yeah…go ahead. I'll stay with her." Zack said as he knelt down next to the bed and held Aerith's still hand.

Tifa walked into the next room and grabbed the phone. She quickly dialed a number and waited as the phone rang and rang. 'Strife Delivery service….sorry…can't get to the phone now…leave a message…." Cloud's voice rang. "Cloud come home! It's an emergency! Call me when you get this please! Something's wrong with Aerith…" Tifa said as she hung up the phone. She quickly dialed another number and called the doctor. After a brief conversation she hurried into the room and paused as she watched Zack hold Aerith's hand. She idolized their love for one another. She wanted it…she wanted Cloud.

LINE_

Zack held Aerith's hand tightly and quickly let go as he felt a sharp shard enter his hand. "Ouch! What the…" Zack said as he looked at the small white piece. Zack's eyes widened as he realized what the piece was. "Aerith…you didn't….please…you couldn't have…" Zack said as he felt tears running down his face. "You used Holy to bring me back…but you doomed us all…." Zack said as he felt anger consume him. "He's coming back Aerith…he just needs to find a way… he will be back….and now we can't stop him if he summons the meteor again…this was our only hope…" Zack said as he held Aerith's hand once more.

Zack smiled at his love. "You know…I'm not mad at you…I'm pretty sure I'd doom mankind to bring you back if I lost you." Zack said as he heard Tifa pause at the doorway. "Any word from the doctor?"

"Yeah…he'll be here any minute." Tifa said as she forced a smile on her face. "Hey! Where did you find your sword? If I remember correctly you lost it a few years ago."Tifa said as she tried to lighten the situation.

"Long story..ha..…I'll tell you when Cloud comes home." Zack said trying to laugh.

"How'd…"

"SOLDIER…remember everything is enhanced." Zack said with a grin.

"Oh yeah I forgot about that. I assume Cloud will be home soon….That must be the doctor." Tifa said as she went downstairs.

"You're going to get better Aerith….Don't you worry." Zack said as he stood to allow the doctor to examine her.

"How long has she been out?" The doctor asked as he placed down his bag and began to check on Aerith.

"A little over an hour now." Zack said doing his best to hold himself together.

"That's not good. I need you two to leave the room and bring me a moist towel." The doctor said feeding Zack's worries.

"Okay. I'll grab it. Zack you should go relax and get something to eat." Tifa said motherly.

"Okay…sure…." Zack said doing his best to remain calm. He walked down the stairs and sat at the bar. He reached over and grabbed his favorite whiskey and poured a glass. He quickly drank the liquid and poured another. "Sometimes being in SOLDIER can really suck…" Zack said as he recalled that SOLDIERs could not get drunk unless they took a tranquilizer.

Zack poured himself another glass and got lost in his thoughts. _"Sephiroth's coming back…I can feel it. Goddamn! Things really got out of hand! I thought this was all over at the northern cave. I killed that psycho. If I know anything about Sephiroth…he hates to lose. He will be back…and this time….he's going to be motivated…and angry….Great…" _ Zack thought as he poured yet another glass. He had already drank half the bottle and yet he was only feeling the effects of one drink.

Zack was startled as he felt a tug on his shirt. He turned to see two children standing behind him. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed their arrival. "Well hello there!" Zack said with a smile.

"Who are you?" Marlene asked.

"I could ask you the same question!" Zack said as he matched the girls look.

"Why do you have a sword like Cloud's?" Denzel asked as he pointed to the buster sword which leaned against the bar.

"Cloud's sword huh? What makes you think that his sword isn't like mine?" Zack said with a grin.

"Well I've never seen you before! We don't like strangers here!" Marlene yelled as she pointed a finger.

"I just so happen to be friends with everyone here except for you two. I've never met you." Zack said with a smile as he ruffled Denzel's hair.

"Are you friends of daddy's? Or the flower girl?" Marlene asked.

Zack smiled. "Who's your dad? And I'm… a special friend of the flower girls."

Marlene's face got bright red as she ran up the stairs without a word. Denzel turned to Zack and asked that must mean you're friends with Cloud."

"Yep….best friends." Zack said as he poured more whiskey into his glass.

"Why are you drinking so much? We were watching you at the top of the stairs for a while….you drank a lot….why aren't you drunk?"

Zack finished his glass and looked at the boy with a serious look. "I guess…I'm trying to prepare myself for bad news…." Zack said with a pause. "And I don't get drunk…." Zack said as he got closer to Denzel's face.

"SOLDIER….you have eyes like Cloud. Tifa said you get those eyes only when you worked for Shinra….." Denzel said as he gasped.

The two turned and looked as Marlene came running down the stairs with a magazine in her hand. "It's you! It's you! Aerith gave me this cause I thought you were cute!" Marlene blushed as she handed Zack the magazine. He froze as he looked at himself on the cover.

"The new face of Shinra…" Zack said as he looked at the date. It was dated the week after Genesis and Angeal's death in the mountains. "Yeah….that's me." Zack said as he stood up. "I have to go upstairs…I'll be back to chat more in a bit." Zack said as his face quickly became grim.

Zack walked right up the stairs and entered Aerith's room. He did not look at Tifa who was in tears. He just walked to the bed and knelt down. "So how long will she be in a coma?" Zack asked.

"How did you know that boy?" The doctor asked with great curiosity.

"I'm a SOLDIER…I could hear everything from downstairs." Zack said as he stood up and walked closer to the doctor and walked up to him with an intimidating posture. "How long….will she be out?"

The doctor cowered back. "I don't know sir…she could wake up today…or she could never wake up…we need a cure for Geostigma….that's the only way she will wake up. I'm sorry…" The doctor said as he put his hands up in fear.

"Alright…then I guess we will find a cure…" Zack said as he turned away.

"But there is no cure!" The doctor said as he immediately regretting his comment.

"I will find one…." Zack said as he got angry.

"Relax Zack. Cloud will be home. You two could go hunting for one." Tifa said as she looked at Zack.

Zack did not say anything as he left the room.

LINE_

Cloud opened his phone and listened to his voice mail. His eyes widened at the urgency in Tifa's voice. He shut the phone and jumped on his bike. He was only in the wasteland and a short ride home. But Cloud felt a chill run up his back as he saw three men watching him in the distance.

LINE_

AN-So advent children begins! Sorry it was shorter! But it was needed!

Also, without the holy materia (which was lost in ff7) the meteor cannot be stopped if Sephiroth plans to summon it again. (which was his plan in advent children)

Another note…Aerith and Zack will not be a major couple in this story. They are the paring in the description mainly because of yaoi confusion. But She will wake up at some point in this story….but when?

Thank you all for the reviews of the last two chapters! You guys totally rock!


	3. Chapter 3

Howl at the Midgar moon II

Chapter 2

"Is that where big brother lives?" A man with long gray hair asked. "Do you think he will be happy to see us?"

"Not a chance." The leader spoke.

"Don't cry Yazoo." The buff one mocked.

"But mother is with him?" Yazoo asked as he ignored his brother's comments.

"Maybe not…" Kadaj said as he focused deeply into the wasteland. "Hold on…he's coming." He studied as a blond man on a motorcycle drove through the wasteland towards Midgar. He motioned to his other brothers as they revved up their engines and chased after the blond.

They quickly caught up with Cloud. Cloud looked to his left and right. His eyes met the men with gray hair eyes. 'What the hell…' Cloud thought as he instinctively opened the sides of his bike and grabbed two swords. Cloud quickly ducked as the one man shot a gun at him. He slammed on the brakes to avoid being sandwiched between the two men.

Cloud looked up onto the cliff side as he sped. It gave him chills to watch a man who vaguely resembled Sephiroth standing on the spot he had lost Zack many years ago. He watched as the man lifted his arm into the air. Cloud watched as black smoke began to surround him. Large beasts erupted from the black smoke and hunted Cloud.

Cloud sped as quickly as he could, cutting down beast after beast. It seemed like no matter how many he cut down they were replaced with two more. Cloud cut through one beast to his left but froze as his blade was met by one of the men with gray hair. "Where's mother!"

Cloud looked at the man with confusion and forced the man back as he drove away from the man and the beasts. Cloud watched as the other man with silver hair sped straight towards him. It was a game of chicken. Cloud had no intent on turning. He wanted to finish one of the men off so he could focus on the other.

Yazoo sped towards Cloud with a large smile on his face. He seemed to enjoy battling. Their bike grew closer and closer. Right before the bike collided Yazoo flipped the bike over Cloud's head. He smiled at Cloud as he fired as shot. It was perfectly aimed to hit his riding glasses. It was a warning….

Cloud did not hesitate a moment, even though his forehead hurt. He cut down beast after beast as he tried his best to hunt the two men. But he quickly became aware that he was greatly outnumbered. The beasts had surrounded him. They all sprinted towards him. Cloud had never felt more at one with Zack. He imagined how his friend had fought such great numbers. But he was a disappointment…he was going to die without killing the gray haired men. The world would be in danger if these men were out for destruction. Something told him that they were. Thoughts of Tifa, Aerith, and the kids being in danger scared him.

Cloud closed his eyes as the beast all jumped towards him. But in an instant the beast vanished. Cloud quickly turned to look at the men with gray hair. The leader had a smile on his face as the other two men joined him on the hilltop. Cloud watched as they drove away.

LINE_

Zack sat on the stool and stared at the children as he returned to the bottle. He hoped it would give him some sense of comfort. The possibility of diluting the past seemed to be a great option at the moment. And forgetting the current situation would be even better. Aerith would plaque his mind no matter how far away he got. He needed to find the cure…he needed to find Sephiroth. "How is he going to come back…I need him to..." Zack said aloud as he realized he had two pairs of innocent eyes on him.

"Don't worry! He'll be back soon!" Marlene said. It gave Zack chills as the words left her mouth.

"Who…" Zack asked as he downed another shot.

"Cloud silly! He's out on a delivery but Tifa said that he would be home as soon as he could." Marlene said as she looked at him quizzically. "Who were you talking about?"

"A nightmare hahahaha!" Zack said with a smile as he ruffled Marlene's hair. "I was just thinking out loud about a dream I had last night!" Zack said covering his tracks.

Denzel looked at Zack with a studying look. "That's a lie! Tifa said you were dead!" Denzel said as he pointed a finger at him.

"Dead…how could I be dead if I'm still here?" Zack said as he grinned.

"Wait! The flower lady cried about you all the time! Denzel's right!" Marlene spoke up and stepped back.

Zack smiled but quickly frowned. It comforted him that Aerith had mourned his death but it also filled him with a feeling of guilt. "I'm sorry…but it's hard to explain…" Zack began as Tifa walked down the stair and interrupted.

"That's enough from you two! Upstairs now! Go do your homework or something!" Tifa shouted.

"But…can't we go outside and play?" Denzel pleaded.

"Fine…but not for too long… I don't want you to get sick." Tifa said with concern.

Zack watched as the kids turned to run to the door. Zack felt his mouth drop as he realized that Denzel had been infected with Geostigma. But Zack quickly stood up and knocked over the stool. "Stop! Go upstairs now…no questions just go!" Zack yelled.

Everyone looked at him with a bit of fear. "What is it Zack?" Tifa asked.

"Something's not rights…I can feel pieces of him…It's not safe to be outside. " Zack said as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand.

"Zack…what's going on?" Tifa asked with a look of concern.

Zack looked at her with a blank face. "I don't know…but it's not good…it feels like before…"

Tifa looked at Zack with a slight look of panic. "Oh…I think I should go check on Aerith…" Tifa said avoiding the past. She turned and looked at the bar. "Zack…please stop drinking…you'll run us out of business…here try one of these…" Tifa said as she got behind the bar and began to shake liquid in a cup and added a lime. "Here…this will make you feel a bit better…too much is happening too fast."

Zack grabbed the drink and downed it quickly. "Yeah I really would like to hit the brakes about now… damn…what's in this thing?"

Tifa smiled. "That's the SOLDIER special. It's the only thing that gives Cloud a buzz….speaking of he should be home soon…" Tifa said as she began to walk away.

Zack did not stop her. He merely walked over to one of the tables. And sat in a chair and leaned back. He began to think deeply as his surrounds became fuzzy.

"How am I alive…Aerith had to have used the materia to bring me back…it's the only way things sort of make sense…" Zack said with a sigh. "What about Sephiroth…is he coming back…

"_I will never be a memory…" Sephiroth's words from the past haunted Zack's mind almost as though Sephiroth had spoken them. _

Zack knew that Sephiroth was coming. He could feel his presence even though it was very faint. Zack could remember every slash of his sword at the fallen General. He could also feel every scar under his shirt. "Scars…a reminder that the past was real…" Zack said as he thought of the Masamune and the bullets tearing through his chest.

He had died twice. Something told him that the third time would be the charm. Not many people got to cheat death. But had dodged it twice. Yet this time his life was at a high price…"The planets doomed…and I can't do anything about it…I need…I need to find Sephiroth…but he's dead…fuck!" Zack cursed as he slammed the table.

But at that instant the door shot open and a blond man came sprinting into the house. "He ran right past Zack and sprinted up the stairs. "Tifa! Tifa what's wrong?" Cloud asked with great concern.

Zack listened closely as the two began to talk. "Cloud…did you greet our guest downstairs?"

"I don't have time to greet guests. You sounded like something was wrong on the phone…what's going on?"

"Aerith sick….she got really sick at the church."

"Dammit! I knew I should have stayed. It's my duty to protect her…" Cloud said as his voice got shallow.

Tifa took a deep breath. "She's in a coma Cloud…The doctors don't know how to help her…but her savior is downstairs…you should go see him…" Tifa said as she held back a smile.

"I need to find a cure for Geostigma…for Denzel…and for Aerith…." Cloud said as he turned to walk down the stairs. Tifa did not say a word. She only followed the man down the stairs. Cloud froze midway down the stairs as his eyes met a familiar sword propped against the bar…"The buster sword…" Cloud whispered as he walked forward. His legs began to feel like jello with each step.

He turned to his left and his eyes met a familiar pair of blue eyes. Zack smiled as he leaned back in his chair. "Sup buddy?" Zack said with a smile.

Cloud looked at the dark haired man with a dumb founded look on his face. He turned to look at Tifa who only smiled lightly and motioned with her head to go to his friend. Cloud took one clumsy step forward as his eyes began to shake. He prayed that what he was seeing was real and not a dream. Something told him that he could not stand losing Zack one more time. His mind would shatter to never be repaired.

"Zack…" Were the only words Cloud could force from his lips.

Zack gave a moan and leaned forward on his chair. "You're not going to tell me that you're back to being all quiet and moody. I thought we got through this already." Zack said as he walked towards Cloud.

"How…" Cloud said as his words got caught in his throat.

Zack opened his arms and walked closer. "Give me a hug buddy. We'll figure all this stuff out. I promise."

Cloud walked over to his friend and grasped him tightly. "This…better not….be a dream…" Cloud mumbled as he held his friend.

Zack frowned as he felt his friend's chest quiver as they hugged. Cloud had truly broken when he died. Something Zack felt horrible for putting his friend through twice in one life time. It wasn't fair for Cloud to have the burden of loss and the burden for caring of Aerith in his stead. "Cloud…I'm so sorry….I should have waited…but you need to understand that I did it for you most. I could not bear to watch my best friend fall." Zack said immediately regretting his wording.

"And you think I enjoyed watching you die! Once was more than I could bare…the memory of you bleeding and gasping for life on the cliff side was more than enough for one life time! But you made me watch twice!" Cloud said in anger as he pushed Zack away.

"Cloud…I'm sorry…but you need to understand…you weren't ready to fight an enemy like Sephiroth. I wouldn't have beaten him if I had to worry about you…" Zack said with a heavy heart which was growing heavier by the second.

"I can handle myself! While you were gone I fought off the remaining WEAPONs! I protected everyone! Stop worrying about everyone else and just worry about yourself!" Cloud said in anger.

Tifa walked forward and placed a hand on Cloud's shoulder. "Hey…just hear him out okay? You know he only did because he loves us all."

Cloud looked at Zack as a few tears still slipped down his cheeks. Zack began to pace back and forth. "Cloud…I am really sorry buddy. Trust me I never meant to die…I never meant to leave Aerith behind….trust me when I say this…it hurts me more than you can imagine. I left behind everyone I loved…everyone I cared for…but I would do it again. Ask yourself this Cloud. Would you give up your life to protect Tifa? The Children? Aerith?"

Cloud nodded his head and wiped his tears. "I would…in a heartbeat."

Zack smiled. "Then I think deep down you understand…but I understand how much that had to hurt. And for that Cloud…I am truly sorry."

Cloud looked at his friend and stepped forward. He grabbed Zack by the shoulders and pulled him in and hugged him once more. "You're forgiven…just don't you ever do that again…."Cloud pulled away and gave his friend a questioning look. "Speaking of…how did you come back?"

Zack frowned and looked to Tifa. "Are the kids upstairs? I don't want to scare them."

"Yes they are. Don't worry about them." Tifa said.

"Okay…I think we should sit down for this." Zack said as they all walked over to one of the tables.

"So explain." Cloud said as he sat backwards on the chair.

"Okay…well I'll do my best to explain. But you see I was in the lifestream or something…" Zack said as he scratched his head trying to explain. "But for some reason I hadn't fully dissolved. For reason I don't think that I will ever be able to explain. But what felt like only moment's to me actually were years down here…Man I can't believe I left Aerith alone for two years…" Zack scolded himself.

"Go on…" Cloud said with a hint of attitude.

"Well I was sort of resting until I was rudely awakened by a boot…Sephiroth's boot. He didn't dissolve either…" Zack said as he looked at the others. Tifa seemed horrified, yet Cloud did not seem to be surprised.

"You mean he's not dead?" Tifa asked.

"No…he's very much dead…but his spirit is very much alive. I think he has something to do with this illness that's going around. "Zack said as he folded his arms.

"So he'll be back just like you…" Cloud said as he grew tenser.

Zack looked at his friend and frowned. In his absence Cloud had become a rough man. He seemed cold and empty. Something Zack knew that he would remedy. "I'm not sure…You see I think I was only revived because Aerith prayed for me."

"But she prayed for you every day. How was it different this time?" Cloud asked.

"This is the bad news… you see…she used the holy materia…and it shattered when I returned." Zack said as he frowned.

"So you're telling me if Sephiroth comes back and summons the meteor again…that we're all fucked." Cloud said as the anger began to grow in his cold eyes. He was not angry at Zack but at the fact that he was helpless and was unable to protect the others.

"Yeah…but we need to kill him to stop this stigma from spreading." Zack said as he locked onto Cloud's left arm. It had been covered in a very odd way. 'He has it…' Zack thought to himself. He did not want to scare Tifa.

"That may explain what happened to me earlier." Cloud spoke up.

"What happened?" Zack said as he looked at Cloud. He had a small cut on his forehead which his hair covered well.

"I was out in the wasteland near…" Cloud began but quickly paused. "I was attacked by three men. They all had gray hair and eyes like Sephiroth."

Zack immediately tensed up. "I felt them from here… but did you kill them?"

"No…I was out matched and beaten with ease…I think they were testing me." Cloud said as he felt failure over run him.

"Don't take it too hard Spike. There were three of them. And they felt like Sephiroth…but pieces. I think it's safe to say that they are the link to the revival of Sephiroth…how I'm not sure." Zack said as he tried to figure things out.

"Well they are running around looking for something…" Cloud said as he looked at Zack.

"Okay…We head out in a few hours. We should get some rest and stock up on food." Zack said.

"You guys can't go after them alone! Let's call the others!" Tifa spoke as she stood up in defiance.

"No…Call them but have them on standby…. I think Midgar will be their target. Cloud…you and I can handle them. Buster bros for life right?" Zack said as he stood and put his fist in the air.

"Damn right! We should hurry. The sooner this ends the better." Cloud said as he looked at Tifa. "I need you to make sure you take care of the kids and Aerith…"

"Of course…but I really want you guys to talk to the others before you…" Tifa said as she watched Zack run into the kitchen. "What the?"

Zack came running out with two trash bags. "Let's get a move on! We can rest when we're dead!...Um no pun intended…" Zack said as he threw Cloud a bag filled with can goods.

"No! You guys rest!" Tifa shouted.

"Sorry Tifa…but he's right…we need to end this quickly." Cloud said as he turned to Zack. "Our transportation is in the garage."

"Okay cool. I'm going to go say good bye to Aerith first!" Zack said as he sprinted up the stairs.

LINE_

Zack walked up the stairs with a heavy heart. He knew going out on the road meant that he would have to leave Aerith behind. He wanted nothing more than to sit by her side day in and day out until she woke. But fate seemed to have a different idea for him. One that he was not happy about. But he knew that it was necessary to protect the planet and everyone he loved.

Zack opened the door and smiled at the sight of the slumbering girl. He walked up to her and laid in the bed next to her. HE wiped the hair from her face and smiled. "Hey…." Zack said as if he was going to get an answer. He frowned as the women remained silent.

"I need to leave for a little while….I know I know I just got back…But I need to go…some bad men are out there stirring up some stuff and are probably hurting others. And I know it has something to do with Sephiroth but….I have to do what I have to do…I'm sorry That I can't be with you….to care for you…but I think I'm doing the only thing that I can do for you…" Zack said as he sat up and threw his legs off the side of the bed.

He stood up and let out a deep sigh. It broke his heart to leave Aerith behind. He could only hope that she would be safe in Tifa's care. Zack walked to the door and looked back at Aerith with watery eyes. "I'll be home soon…I love you…" Zack said as he walked out the door and closed it behind him.

LINE_

Tifa slammed her fist into the table. "Cloud! No! You're not allowed to go after them! You said it yourself! They beat you! WITH EASE! You're not allowed!" Tifa said as she began to cry.

"Tifa….you need to understand…that we're doing this for you…and the kids…" Cloud said as he walked up to the girl and put a hand on her shoulder which she rejected quickly. "Zack will be with me…together we are the planet's best hope to stop those men…and to prevent Sephiroth's revival."

"I know that….but why does it always have to be you two? You both have had it hard enough…when will it be your turn to rest." Tifa said as she grabbed Cloud's hand. "What about us? Things were going great with us until Denzel got sick…"

"I know…and we will work on it once everything is over…but for now I need you to care for the kids and Aerith." Cloud said as he hugged Tifa. He did not say more. Any talk about their feelings for each other made him want to run.

"Cloud…" Tifa said as they were interrupted by Zack's foot steps down the stairs.

"Hey guys… Cloud you ready?" Zack asked as he refused to make eye contact. He rubbed his eyes hoping that it would get rid of their redness.

"Yeah let's go…"Cloud said as he looked at Tifa. But he quickly turned and gave her no affection. A departure that made him feel more comfortable.

LINE_

Zack and Cloud walked into the garage. There were two bikes. One Zack was very familiar with and another which seemed much older. "Hey Spike…Where did you get all those swords? And that bike?" Zack said pointing to the older bike.

Cloud smiled briefly. Zack had always been obsessed with weapons. "I made this sword…it's actually one sword but it breaks down into six pieces. Pretty cool huh?"

"Totally. What does it look like when they all are connected?" Zack asked.

Cloud's face got red as he began to feel embarrassed. "A lot like the buster sword…"

Zack smiled. "Must be a great design then!" Zack said as he put the buster sword to his forehead. He had greatly missed the blade since the day he lost it on the roof top of the Shinra building.

"Yeah…it is." Cloud said as he walked up to Fernir. "Oh…wait this is your bike…" Cloud remembered.

Zack smiled. "Nah man…you keep it. You could probably use those compartments more than I could. Anyway…where did you get this bike?"

Cloud grinned. "Actually I stole it from the Shinra building years ago. We were escaping after we saved Aerith and I rode it down the stairs like a boss." Cloud quickly wiped the smile off his face as he realized that he had showed a lot of emotion to Zack before he was ready. Zack had a way with making people feeling more comfortable.

"Sweet! I assume you restored it? It looks almost brand new." Zack said with a smile. "Actually I remember it! I remember back in my days at Shinra Angeal would yell at me when I touched the exhibits. This one time he got so mad at me for sitting on it…good times."

"Well it's all yours." Cloud said as he put all but one of his swords into the bike.

"So where to first?" Zack asked as the two men fired up the engines as the garage door opened.

"Well we got a call from Reno earlier today. Tifa said it sounded urgent. So we're heading to Healen."

"Where's that? It's a village built near the Chocobo farm." Cloud said as he looked to his friend. "Ready?"

Zack put the buster sword on his back and grinned. "Hell yeah!" The two men exploded out of the garage with loud roars of their engines.

LINE_

AN- Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait. I had a bunch of stuff going on. I still need to catch up on reading several fan fics and writing my own. Most of this chapter was done weeks ago but I just added the last part. Sorry it's on the short side. I just don't want to much happening in one chapter right now. Next chapter will be a good one! Zack and Cloud plus Rufus!

By the way! Thank you all for your reviews! They really do motivate me! Keep them coming! Now I need to go read some fan fics!


	4. NOT a chapter! Authors note!

Authors note

Hey guys this is not a chapter. It's an update for my readers. I have not updated in long time in my standards. Sadly I got a really bad computer virus from and email. It nearly destroyed my computer. I was forced to wipe my computer because the virus would not allow me to access anything on my computer. So…the next chapter which was nearly finished was destroyed. So it will take time and a lot of motivation to rewrite the chapter. So please be patient guys I will have it up asap!


	5. Chapter 4

Howl at the Midgar Moon II

AN- Sorry guys that it has taken me so long to update this story. Things got really busy at school! Things are rapping up so I will be able to update on a regular basis now. Thank you all for being patient and sticking with me so far!

LINE_

Zack and Cloud motored their way through the wasteland outside of Midgar. They had a sense of haste on their journey to Healen. After a few hours of riding the two men paused to take a small break for water. Zack stepped off his bike and watched his friend. Cloud's actions had disturbed him to the core. The blond would not look him in the eyes as they spoke and he often would turn his back on others. It angered Zack because it was something his best friend would not do before his death.

"Hey Cloud….is everything okay?" Zack asked.

"Yeah I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Cloud asked with a questioning glance.

Zack just shrugged, ignoring Cloud's inquiry. "So tell me bud…What did I miss when I was gone?"

Cloud looked at Zack with a look of annoyance. "I don't know… not much…"

"What about Barret? Cid? Yuffie? Where's Vincent these days?" Zack asked.

"I don't know. Tifa keeps in touch with them. Last thing I heard was that Cid was getting married…or was married…I don't know." Cloud said as he looked at a look of anger.

"How do you not what our friends are up to? Are you that uninvolved Cloud!" Zack asked in anger.

Cloud matched his friend's anger with his own. "Easy for a dead man to say. You weren't here! You weren't here for Aerith's…or me! Don't judge me before you look in the mirror Zack…" Cloud snapped. He immediately regretted his words. "We should get moving…we will be there soon."

Zack looked At Cloud. _"I know…I wish I was here for her…and for you…" _Zack thought as he got on his bike. Zack turned on the bike and followed Cloud.

LINE_

The two men paused outside a small Village. Healen was located just east of Kalm. The ocean air felt good in Zack's nostrils as he took a deep breath. But the moment was short lived as Cloud interrupted.

"Let's get this done quickly. Reno said that he is in hut number 72." Cloud said as he walked right past Zack.

Zack just shook his head and followed his friend. Cloud's coldness was already beginning to annoy him. How Tifa managed to put up with it this long was beyond him.

After a short walk and several stairs the two spiky haired men arrived. Cloud quickly opened the door before Zack could speak. Cloud moved to the side dodging Reno's attack. He tossed the red haired man to Zack who caught the Turk.

Reno's eyes met Zack's. Shock was the only expression that Zack could read as he let the Turk go and entered the hut. Zack closed the door behind him. The dark haired man turned to see Cloud's sword at Rude's throat. Zack's hand shot out and grabbed Cloud's left shoulder. Zack watched as the blond winced in pain. "Cloud…relax…we're not alone."

Cloud lowered his sword as a man in a wheel chair entered the room. The two could not make out the man's face under the white cloak. "Interesting…" The man said as he came to a stop and inspected the two men before him.

Zack's hand immediately shot up to his sword as the man's features came into focus. "Ha…scum like you always seem to find a crack to slip into."

"Rufus Shinra…" Cloud spoke.

Rufus looked at Zack and gave him an odd approving nod. His attention refocused on Cloud. "That day…I managed to.."

"Why are we here? What do you want?" Cloud spoke with a bitter tone.

Rufus smiled. He knew Cloud was going to be bitter. "We need your help Cloud…both of you. Fair you are quiet the surprise. Your services will be useful."

Zack raised an eyebrow. "What do you want…"

"We need your services…You see Karaj and his gang are…skilled…" Rufus faded as he looked at Rude.

Zack burst into laughter. "HAHAHAHA! Do you know how many of my _dead_ friend would love to be standing here right now to hear this! We always thought a SOLDIER was better than a Turk. Man…they would have loved that…" Zack faded off realizing what the reality was.

"Yes…we lost several great men like yourself. But that is why we need your help. We owe it to the planet to undo my mistakes…" Rufus said as he unraveled a bandage on his left hand. "The stigma… the people believe it is caused by mako energy…but we have been using mako for years and yet there are no reported cases in history. I can only think of one thing that has changed in the last few years…"

"Sephiroth…" Cloud and Zack spoke at the same time.

"Yes. The nightmare…"

"Sephiroth is dead." Cloud said in anger.

"Yes but has his mind died? What if he hasn't fully dissolved into the lifestream?" Rufus asked.

Zack gasped inside. The things Rufus were saying made sense. They added up with what Sephiroth had said to him in the lifestream before his own revival. Zack had not noticed that he had completely zoned out of the rest of the conversation.

"Help us Cloud…help us restore our planet." Rufus said with his hand out in a peaceful manner.

"Yeah Cloud…together we can rebuild Shinra!" Reno's voice rang from outside.

"Not interested." Cloud spoke as he walked out of the room.

Reno walked into the room and looked at Zack. "Aren't you going with him?"

"I'm not done here yet." Zack said as he began to pace in the room. His eyes scanned everything a habit he gained from years of training. On the table next to the sofa were a small pile of papers. WRO read at the top alone with what seemed to be an expense report. "Rufus…who are those three men?"

Rufus smiled. "I honestly have no idea. Why do you know something?"

"Rufus…this is my one warning. If you are keeping something from me…those men will not be the only thing you have to worry about." Zack said with a bitter tone.

"Fine. I will tell you what I know." Rufus said with a grin. "We went to the northern cave…do you know what we found?"

"What…the only thing that would be up there would be remains of Sephiroth…and maybe Jenova but they were buried under the rock." Zack said.

"Indeed. And we found no traces of either in our search…however…"

"However?" Zack asked.

"We had casualties… Tseng…Elena…and Cissnei…We have not found any traces of them in our rescue efforts. They are feared…" Rufus began but was interrupted.

"Nah. You Turks are slimy bastards…I'm sure that they are alive somewhere…I'll keep an eye out." Zack said as he put his hands on his hips and shook his head.

"Thanks Fair." Reno spoke up. Zack just nodded at the man.

"Anything else?" Zack asked as he made his way towards the door.

"Yes…I would like to make a deal." Rufus spoke.

"You have nothing to offer me." Zack said as he opened the door.

"I understand that your women is sick…" Rufus spoke up.

Zack quickly drew his sword and pointed it at Rufus. "Spying on her again…leave her be!"

"We were actually keeping tabs on Strife. But we are willing to help you out if you help us."

"What do you have in mind…" Zack asked as he felt as though he was selling his soul to the devil.

"We will provide Aerith the best medical care money can buy….but we need you to eliminate those three men." Rufus spoke.

"Consider it done." Zack said as he left the hut.

LINE_

"Hey Tifa!" Marlene exclaimed.

Tifa was standing at the bar going over bills of the bars patrons. "Yes Marlene."

"Denzel and I had a good idea! Wanna hear!"

"Sure." Tifa said as she forced a smile on her face. She had been worried about the bills and Cloud.

"We want to go to the church and pick some flowers for Aerith! Maybe they would make her feel better!" Marlene said with a cheery voice.

"But who will watch the bar and Aerith?" Tifa said as she began to worry.

"I'll stay. I can watch over things for a while." Denzel spoke with a timid voice.

"Ok…Are you sure you can handle it? We will only be gone for an hour." Tifa said as she smiled at Denzel.

"I'll be fine." Denzel said with a forced smile.

"Okay. We will be back soon." Tifa said as she left the house.

LINE_

Zack walked down the stair and looked at Cloud who was waiting impatiently. "What was that all about?" Cloud asked with suspicion.

"I just wanted to get more information. I thought trying a different method would be worth a try." Zack said as the two men began walking down the hill to their bikes.

"Well we know that those silver haired men are looking for mother…" Cloud spoke.

"You don't think…Jenova…" Zack said as the pieces began to fall in place.

"Exactly… they need her cells for something…and they have silver hair…so that can only mean something is going on and Sephiroth is or will be involved.

"Shit…we should head back and get a hold of everyone so we can get these guys. The sooner the better." Zack said.

"Yeah…let me call Tifa." Cloud said as he pulled out the phone and dialed. "Hello. Hey Denzel…Is Tifa there? No…she's at the church…" Cloud said as he hung up without a goodbye.

Zack gave his friend a nasty look as the blond hung up. "You go to the church. I'll head back to the bar and check on the kid and Aerith." Zack said. Cloud gave a nod and the two headed towards Edge.

LINE_

Tifa and Marlene walked into the church. Tifa immediately frowned when she saw a sleeping bag in the distance. She knew immediately that Cloud had been hiding from her and the kids. Why was the only thing running through her mind until Marlene spoke up.

"Is Cloud sick?" She said as she held up a bandage with scum from the stigma.

Tifa felt the air in her lungs leave in an instant. The man she loved no matter how cold he grew was dying. There were no cases of survival from Geostigma. All that could be done is make life as enjoyable as possible. "Why wouldn't he say something…" Tifa's voice let out.

Her attention quickly turned to the door. She watched as a dark figure enter the church. Tifa could instantly feel the contrast of energy between the man and the church. He had a dark presence. The opposite of the purity of Aerith's church.

""Where is brother?" The man shouted as he walked closer. His footsteps were heavy, creating echoes throughout the church.

"What do you want!" Tifa shouted as the man came into focus. He dressed in all black and had silver hair. The similarity's with the man she hated most caused chills to run up her spine.

"Is brother here? Does he have mother?" Loz asked.

"No. Leave." Tifa said as she shoved Marlene behind her.

Loz smiled as he saw the girl. "Let's play…" He said with a grin.

Tifa quickly tightened her gloves and made a charge at the man. She swung violently with her fists. She blindly threw punch after punch. Her rust in battle was clear as Loz dodged each blow with ease. But Loz's grin wiped off of his face as he felt a powerful kick land flush on his face sending him sliding back. The silver haired man quickly regained composure and ran towards Tifa.

Loz ducked as he dodged another powerful kick from Tifa. He moved quickly and grabbed her leg in a moment of weakness. Loz swung the poor girl violently. Her body crashed against a pew. The wooden bench shattered at the force of the impact.

Tifa found herself flying through the air. She quickly regained her wits and landed on the far wall on the church. She looked down to see the defenseless Marlene and began to worry. In a flash of might Tifa jumped off the wall and flew towards Loz. Blow after blow landed on the man. She had completely caught him off guard. With a commanding kick Tifa slammed the man into the pews. His still body crashed hard.

There was silence in the church. Tifa watched as the dust began to settle. She felt her heart jump as she heard a phone ring under the rubble. She watched as the man had stood up and walked out of the rubble. Tifa felt an eerie chill as the man began walking as though her best blows were only mosquito bites. "He's not….here…" The man said into the phone. "No I'm not crying!" He shouted as he hung up the phone and turned towards Tifa.

Tifa's eyes widened as she watch Loz kick a broken pew in the direction of Marlene. Tifa quickly intercepted the pew and shattered it with a powerful punch. But in the dust Loz had sprinted towards her when her guard was down. Electricity from the Dual Hound pulsed through Tifa's body rendering her unconscious.

Loz walked over to Tifa's still body. He grabbed her by her shirt and prepared to give the final blow. But he was stopped ad he felt a hard object hit him in the head.

"Leave her alone!" Marlene shouted. Loz smiled as he looked at a chest of material next to the girl.

LINE_

Cloud cut the engine of his bike outside the church. He let out a deep sigh as he dismounted his bike. Cloud walked to the church doors and opened them softly. The blinding light from the broken ceiling caused him to squint. But as soon as his eyes regained focus he felt his legs tremble. In the distance he could see Tifa laying still and Marlene was nowhere in sight. Cloud sprinted faster than he had ever had before.

"Tifa! Tifa!" Cloud shouted as he shook Tifa.

He got no response. Cloud felt panic beginning to consume him until he felt a tremor in his body. Cloud grabbed his arm as he yelled in great pain. Black fluid began to ooze from the stigma. Cloud felt his eyes roll back in his head as everything got dark and images of Sephiroth began to overflow his mind.

LINE_

"_It's good to see you Cloud…" Sephiroth said with a smile as he wiped the blood off of his blade. He took a step forward over a still body._

_Cloud stared at the body and froze. "What did you do…." Cloud said as he began to feel anger._

"_Fair….was a disappointment to say the least. He was much more fun the first time around." Sephiroth's smile quickly faded. "That women must have distracted him…I want him at his best. We have a score that must be settled…" _

"_You killed him!" Cloud screamed._

"_No he is alive…if he died I would be disappointed to call him a former comrade and rival." Sephiroth said as he held out his sword and pointed it at Cloud._

_Cloud watched as a thick storm formed overhead on the Shinra building. Cloud watched as he saw an airship in ruins in the far distance. Everything felt wrong. Something was not right. It felt like a nightmare…but this was real…_

"_Soon Cloud…soon…" Sephiroth said as he turned and walked away._

"_Soon what do you mean soon!"_

_"To quote a friend…__Even if the morrow is barren of promises__** NOTHING shall forestall my return." **_Sephiroth said as he disappeared in the smoke of the Shinra building.

LINE_

Zack quickly entered the bar. He was startled by Denzel. "Hey kiddo. Everything ok?"

Denzel looked down at his feet. "Yeah…I thought you were Cloud…"

Zack ruffled his hair and smiled. "Sorry to disappoint you little man. He went to pick Tifa up." Zack said with reassuring look. Zack felt his ears tingle. He could hear footstep upstairs. "Denzel…who's upstairs?'

"Some doctors. They said a friend of yours sent them to look after Aerith." Denzel said as he handed Zack a letter.

Zack ignored the letter and knelt down to the young boy. He looked him in the eyes and gave him a serious look. "They aren't here for just Aerith…they will take care of you too bud." Zack said as he put his hand on Denzel's shoulder.

Zack was taken aback as Denzel hugged him. "Thank you…" Denzel said as a few tears began to fall.

It hadn't hit Zack how scary it must have been to be a boy with a terminal disease. Things began to make sense. He knew Cloud cared deeply about the boy. Zack suddenly felt more motivated to find a cure. And to find the cure he needed Sephiroth to return. The thought of allowing the man to be reborn was haunting. The consequences would be server if things went wrong. "Come on bud. Let's get you upstairs in bed. I'll send the doctors in and then I will join you and chat a bit." Zack said with a smile. Denzel ran up with a bit of excitement. Zack followed behind him.

Zack did not waste anymore time. He walked into Aerith's room. He was surprised to see three doctors in the room along with one nurse. They all looked at the man for a moment and returned to work. Zack turned to Aerith who had an oxygen mask on along with an IV. The dark haired man shifted his gaze to the doctors. "Look…we don't need four of you in here. I want you and the nurse to go in the next room and take care of the boy." Zack said as he pointed at one of the doctors.

"Sorry sir. Our orders from Rufus were to take care of the girl. He said nothing of the boy." The doctor closest to Zack said.

Zack smiled. "What makes you think that I am in the mood to negotiate?" Zack said as he put his hand on his sword.

The doctors immediately began gathering things and headed into the next room. Zack grinned as he watched the men in white coats run. But Zack's smile faded quickly as Aerith came into sight again. She looked horrible. Sweat falling from her forehead and she was attached to several machines. Zack walked over to Aerith and felt his eyes beginning to water. He knelt down and grabbed Aerith's hand.

"You know I love you right? But I need to do something…and I know you wouldn't be happy about it. I need to save you…Denzel and the world from this stigma. But there is only one way to cure it…and if I do it…the world may fall…but my world…ends with you…" Zack said as he stood up. He felt ashamed of his thoughts and the actions that he knew what needed to be done.

Zack quickly left the room and walked into Denzel's room. The boy was crying as the doctor and nurse attempted to put in the IV. "You need to sit still." The nurse said in frustration.

Zack smiled weakly as he walked over. "Hey buddy. Relax. Just look at me and ignore them. So let's chat. What do you like to play?"

"I really like swords! I want to be like Cloud…but he won't teach me. He says swords equal pain and suffering for people."

Zack frowned. "Cloud's right to some degree. But they are more than that…they are only used by those who are brave. In an age of guns and other technology…it takes an honorable and brave person to wield them." Zack smiled. "Or you have to be a mad man and be completely nuts in the head. Look at me. I've charged at seas of soldiers with only this sword…and looking back at it…it wasn't a good decision for my health." Zack laughed. "But Denzel…if you want to learn how to fight and use a sword we have to teach you something else first."

"What!" Denzel said with excitement.

"You need to have dreams….and you to protect you honor. And once you master those I will teach you how to use a sword." Zack said as he got a nod from the nurse. "See that wasn't so bad was it?" Zack said as he pointed to the boys arm.

Denzel smiled. "Hehehe I guess not!" Denzel said with a smile.

"Yo Fair we need your help real quick." Reno said in the door way. He startled Zack who had not noticed the man's presence. "Nice speech by the way." Reno snickered.

Zack shook his head. "I'll be right back bud. You just start training and find your dream."

Zack followed Reno down the stairs. Reno pointed to an unconscious Cloud and Tifa. "We found them in the church this way."

Zack immediately scanned the room. "Cloud said Marlene was with Tifa…"

Reno frowned. "Yeah we know…Kadaj and his gang are rounding up kids everywhere…they took her."

"Where are they?" Zack asked.

"They're at their base now. It's in the forgotten city." Rude spoke up.

"Damn. Can you guys watch over things here…I'm going to pay them a visit." Zack said with a look of determination.

"Okay…we'll take care of things." Reno said softly.

Zack nodded to the two Turks and ran outside.

LINE_

Denzel stood up as he heard the front door slam. He walked over to the window and watched Zack mount his bike. Zack revved the engine and sped off in the distance. Denzel immediately threw on shoes and ran down the stairs and out the door. He ran as fast as he could running away from the nurse who attempted to follow him.

Denzel ran and ran until he could run no more. He stopped panting attempting to regain his breath. "Are you here for the cure?"

"Huh?" Denzel asked as he looked at a man with silver hair.

"We have found a cure…don't you want to be cured so you can be like him?" Yazoo said as he pointed to Zack who was far off in the distance. Denzel nodded. "Very well then…get in the truck."

LINE_

Cloud opened his eyes. He was in a dark room that he had recognized. "How…"

"You were pretty heavy ya know?" Reno spoke.

Cloud turned to see Tifa laying in the bed next to him. She was still out cold. "What about Marlene?"

"They took her…and we have witnesses that claim the boy also was taken." Rude spoke.

"Where are they?" Cloud asked almost in anger.

"They are at the forgotten city." Reno spoke. "Fair left a few hours ago…"

Cloud stood in an instant. "Okay…look after things here." Cloud stood as he began walking to the door.

"Where are you going?" Tifa asked as she slowly came too.

"I have to do something…"

"Cloud stop running! Your attitude needs to change. I know you're scared." Tifa said as she slammed her hand into the bed.

Reno motioned to Rude to leave the room and give the two privacy. "But I… I can't help anybody…"

"I know you're scared that something is going to happen that can't unhappen. Aerith's condition is not your fault. Denzel is not your fault! And Zack's death was not your fault!" Tifa spoke getting upset.

"But I let them down…" Cloud said as he closed the door behind him leaving Tifa alone in the room.

LINE_

AN- Okay guys I am going to stop it there! Sadly advent children was really really short! There is not a lot of plot in the movie. So I have a feeling the advent children story line will end around chapter 15ish and from there will be an original story. Also the advent children story line will be altered a bit as you can already tell. Zack's presence sort of changes history. But it will be exciting! So I hope you guys like it! Oh! And sorry for the massive delay on this chapter! It won't happen again! I promise!


	6. Chapter 5

Howl at the Midgar Moon II

AN-Hey guys! Here's an update! Thank you all who have stuck with me this long! Thank you all for all the reviews! Enjoy and leave me a review!

LINE_

Zack cut the engine of his bike as he leaned on his left leg. He looked down the familiar road. It seemed as though it were endless. The road was covered in white trees on both sides. Zack had always believed that they were filled with lifestream which caused them to grow. Zack grinded his teeth. He needed to save Marlene and the other kids. But he knew it was wasting time, something that he had little of. "Come on Zack…end this now…and let's be quick about it shall we?" Zack said to himself as he turned on his bike and sped towards the capital.

The trees caused Zack's vision to blur. It would be easy for a normal person to lose their position and get lost in the woods. Zack shook his head as he felt images rushing through his mind. Images of Sephiroth, Angeal, and his friends beat his brain causing him to lose focus. It felt as though they were all speaking to him at once. "Damn…being this close to this place really messes you up. It has to be because of the lifestream concentration." Zack said as he saw a building in the distance. "Bingo." Zack said as he drove as fast as he could.

Zack hit the brakes as hard as he stopped next to the small lake outside of the capital. Zack looked and saw no signs of anyone. "Fuck…where are they?"

"Brother! You came! Now the party can begin!" A voice rang from above.

"Where are the kids! Let them go now…and you get to live." Zack said as he put his hand on the handle of the buster sword.

"My my. Such hostility from a brother. Can you believe this? He isn't happy to see us!" Kadaj motioned to his brothers.

"Maybe he has mother." Loz spoke.

Kadaj gave him a nasty glare. "He doesn't have mother…he _needs_ her as well. Isn't that right brother?"

Zack stared at the man in black. "What are you talking about?"

"We need her for our reunion to be complete! Don't you understand brother! We need her to fulfill her wishes." Kadaj rambled.

"Her…you mean Jenova?" Zack said as he recalled Sephiroth referring to her as mother.

"Yes! So you do get it! Won't you join us brother!"

"What makes you think I need her?" Zack asked her.

"For her." Kadaj jumped down for the tree. He walked towards Zack with a grin. Kadaj pulled out a pink bow. It was worn and beaten. It was Aerith's.

Zack felt his heart drop. "Did you do anything to her!" Zack yelled as he drew his sword.

"No…not yet… she is sleeping back in the city." Kadaj smiled. He had found Zack's weakness. "We know you need _him _to save her. That's why you should join us brother!"

Zack felt his legs shake. Kadaj was right. The only way to save Aerith was to eliminate Sephiroth. But the nightmare needed to be revived before he could save Aerith.

"_That's right Zackary…we need each other." Sephiroth's voice rang in Zack's head._

Zack shook his head. He knew that Sephiroth's revival meant that others would suffer greatly. Zack screamed on the inside and trusted his gut. In one fluid motion Zack swung the buster sword towards Kadaj. He moved so fast that Kadaj was unable to move in time. The buster sword grazed Kadaj's cheek.

"I think that's a no." Zack said with a grin.

Everyone's attention shifted as they heard another bike roaring in the distance. Kadaj motioned to his brothers. The two silver haired men jumped down from the tree. The both drew a gun and began to shoot at the incoming visitor.

"Good timing Cloud." Zack said as he turned to Kadaj who seemed to be overwhelmed with anger. "Aw…are you going to go cry to mommy now?"

Kadaj just brushed it off and began to sprint towards Zack with his sword drawn. Zack grinned as he matched his sprint. Kadaj began to swing as Zack blocked each of his swings. Zack parried blow after blow. He just smiled at his foe. "Didn't mother teach you how to fight?" Zack said as he blocked another strike. Zack gave Kadaj a firm kicks to his chest sending him flying. Zack watched as the man crashed into a few trees causing them to fall over.

But Zack felt his attention shift as he saw Cloud speeding towards the two men. He watched as Kadaj motioned. Children jumped from the trees providing the silver haired men cover. Zack felt his stomach drop as Cloud jumped from his bike. But the bike continued to slide towards the children. Zack jumped into action as he leaped over the group of children. Zack drove the buster sword into the ground and held it firmly causing the bike to come to a stop.

"You're no fun." Yazoo said as he sat on a tree branch.

"Sorry, but we all have to grow up sometimes." Zack mocked.

Zack felt the hair on the back of his neck stand as he ducked. He had dodged Kadaj's attack. Zack was amazed at how the man had snuck up on him. Zack quickly pulled his sword out and charged. He swung at Kadaj, but he moved too fast.

Zack and Kadaj's swords clashed creating a wave through the forest. Kadaj just smiled as he motioned with his head. Zack glanced quickly. He noticed that Cloud was losing his battle with the other two men. He wasn't just losing. He was getting crushed. Zack knew he had to help, but he had his hands full with Kadaj. Zack knew he was going to lose his friend if something didn't change soon.

Zack felt his arm sting as he looked back at Kadaj. "Now we are even brother!" Kadaj said with a laugh. He had only given Zack a small cut to get his attention once more. "You must pay attention brother! Don't be distracted by the termination of that traitor!" Kadaj let out a laugh. "Can you believe it! Our own brother wants nothing to do with us! And he won't help us find mother!" Kadaj said as he swung at Zack.

Zack did a side step and then a back flip to get some distance. IN the distance Zack could hear gun shots. But the shots sounded different than the ones from earlier. Loz and Yazoo began to fire at an invisible foe. They were unable to locate the position of the intruder. Zack smiled as he noticed a small glint of red jumping from tree to tree. "Vincent." Zack spoke softly.

The phantom grabbed Cloud and a child out of the group. Zack exhaled a deep breath as he watched his friends get to safety. But Zack quickly snapped back as he watched the three silver haired men charging at him. "Oh man! Do I ever get a fair fight!" Zack said sarcastically.

Zack jumped high in the air and was quickly met by Kadaj's sword. Before Zack could finish his exchange with Kadaj he was forced to sidestep a strike from Loz. As Zack began to fall towards the ground he watched as Loz seemed to vanish. Suddenly Zack felt a sharp pain in his back. Followed by a jolt. Zack let out a hiss as he quickly turned towards his foe. Zack's boot collided violently into Loz's face. The short haired man let out a yell as he crashed into a tree. Zack quickly turned as he heard a familiar hiss. 'Bullets' Zack thought as he pulled the buster sword in front of him to take the blow. "Damn. I can't keep up with these guys. Two guys in close combat and one who can pepper me with bullets…This blows!" Zack said as he shrugged like a grumpy child.

Zack knew that this fight needed to end. He did not have the energy to continue fighting. It took a lot out of him to return to the land of the living. He felt drained physically and emotionally. No matter what the former SOLDIER did, he couldn't find peace. Something was always wrong or he had to clean up some mess. Years of fighting had finally taken its toll. Zack needed to rest. But rest was nowhere in sight. Zack broke his thoughts as he turned to punch an incoming Loz.

"You're pretty fast brother!" Loz said with a hint of excitement in his voice.

"Ha…you're not too bad yourself." Zack said as he grabbed the man's arm. He began to spin round and round. Zack let go of the clone sending him flying towards Yazoo. Loz crashed into the unsuspecting Yazoo with force. Zack quickly turned his attention to Kadaj who was sitting on a tree branch watching the exchange.

Yazoo and Loz stood up with anger on their faces. But they froze as Kadaj raised his hand in the air. "That is enough brothers. Mother would be unpleased with our little fight." Kadaj turned to Zack with a grin. His eyes turned green as he looked at the SOLDIER. "He will be helping us brothers…" The leader said as he vanished along with the group of children.

"Damn!" Zack said as he caught a glimpse of Denzel in the group of children before they dissipated. The SOLDIER shook his head and began running into the woods hoping to find his friends.

LINE_

Vincent place Cloud on the ground and looked at the blond with questioning eyes. "What are you doing here?' Vincent asked.

"They took the kids so I had to come." Cloud responded as he looked away from the man in red.

"What are you doing here?" Vincent asked again just with more anger in his voice.

"I told you! For the kids."

"No…you came here unprepared for battle. You put the lives of your friends and the children at stake." Vincent spoke.

"But…I wanted to…" Cloud spoke as his mind began to wonder.

The two men fell silent until they heard a ruffle in the sounding area. Cloud and Vincent stood ready to fight but quickly came to ease as Marlene came running. "Cloud!"

"Marlene! Are you okay?" Cloud asked.

"I want to talk to Tifa!" Marlene demanded.

Cloud pulled out his phone and frowned. A bullet had destroyed his phone rendering it useless. "I'm sorry." Cloud said as he showed Marlene.

"Oh…May I?" She asked the man in red.

Vincent lifted his cape showing that he had no phone. "I apologize."

"I want to go home!" Marlene said as she almost broke into tears.

Vincent turned as he heard another rustle. His eyes widened as he watched a dark haired man come to a stop. "Hey guys. What's up?" Zack asked as if there had never been a battle.

Vincent smiled. "You do not know the meaning of death do you?"

"Nope! I never really used a dictionary hahaha! And look who's talking! We have Mister Vamps over here!" Zack said with a joke.

Vincent hid a smile under his cape. Zack had made him smile in only seconds. He was full of life on the outside. But Vincent knew that deep down Zack has fighting a storm on the inside. "It's good to see you in the living world again…just try to stay in it this time."

"This isn't a time to joke!" Cloud yelled in a bitter voice.

"Geezz grumps. Fine. Let's head back to Edge. Something's going down…I feel it." Zack said as he rubbed his chin. "Cloud take Marlene back to the bar."

Cloud nodded and grabbed Marlene's hand. "Let's go see Tifa." Cloud said as he forced a smile.

Zack waited until he heard the roar of the bike to speak. "Vincent…tell me everything you know."

Vincent was surprised by Zack's sudden change of demeanor. "I have been following Kadaj and his gang for some time now. I found three Turks severely wounded here while they left."

"Tseng, Elena and Cissnei?" Zack asked.

"Yes. They are healing now in Kalm." Vincent said as he studied Zack. The SOLDIER seemed to know quite a lot of info for someone who returned from the dead.

"Vincent…they are looking for Jenova." Zack said as he began to pace.

Vincent stared at the man for a moment. "Are you certain?"

"Yes. They wanted me to help them…they kept calling me brother." Zack said as he began to look frustrated.

"So it is true. Zack I believe that Kadaj has some sort of connection to Sephiroth."

"Nah you think? He kind of looks like him and his personality is similar…" Zack said with sarcasm and a hint of rudeness.

"I see you are well informed. How is it that you know so much?" Vincent asked directly.

"Shinra…Rufus." Zack said with a pause. "He promised me that he would take care of Aerith if I eliminated Kadaj and the others."

"Take care of Aerith?" Vincent asked with a bit of concern.

"He has the stigma… and she's dying." Zack said holding back tears.

Vincent knew that the news of an ill stricken Aerith was bad for the planet. She was the planet's only true Ancient. If his theory was correct about Kadaj being a Sephiroth clone, then the planet would be in great danger if he got his hands on Jenova. Vincent could tell Zack seemed a bit unstable. When it came to Aerith Zack would begin to act without thought. The next few steps needed to be taken with caution. "The Stigma…it is Jenova's mimetic legacy."

"What do you mean?" Zack asked.

"Jenova's cell invades the body and the body tries to fight it…and it overcompensates, causing the body to destroy its self." Vincent said as he studied Zack's reaction. "You know something more?"

"Yeah…but it sounds a bit crazy."

"I'm all ears." Vincent said as he crossed his arms.

"Before I came back…I met Sephiroth in the lifestream…he told me that he was coming back…and that he us causing the stigma." Zack said as he looked at the man in red.

"How did you get back?" Vincent asked as he processed the information.

"Aerith used the Holy materia…and it shattered upon my return…I guess it was like a trade." Zack said as he rubbed his head.

Vincent's eyes widened. "Zack. There is a storm coming…And I'm afraid that we will not be able to stop it. It is too perfect."

"What do you mean? I'm confused." Zack said as he looked at the man.

"Sephiroth's plan… it's nearly perfect." Vincent said out loud.

"Sephiroth's plan? Vincent can you just tell me? You're starting to make me feel like I'm stupid." Zack said.

"Think about it for a second. Sephiroth met you in the lifestream…he is causing the stigma. The women you love has the stigma. She used the Holy materia to revive you. And the Holy Materia is the only thing that can stop Sephiroth if he returns. Zack we cannot allow Kadaj to gain access to Jenova. If he does I fear that the planet will fall. Zack…watch your next few steps carefully. Think everything through." Vincent said to the SOLDIER.

Zack looked at his friend and felt hurt. "You think I'm going to put the planet in danger?"

Vincent nodded. "I would if I were in your shoes." Vincent said with a pause. "And we are well aware of the connection you and Sephiroth have. He controlled you in the past…what's to say he won't do it again."

Zack shook his head in agreement. The SOLDIER looked at his hands and then his friend. "Cloud and I…we are Sephiroth clones…"

Vincent raised a brow. "Explain."

"I never got a chance to have this talk about it with you before…I guess now is a good time as any. The day Sephiroth went insane…Cloud and I went after him…let's just say we fought the good fight…but we got our asses handed to us." Zack said as his eyes met Vincent's.

"Then Hojo stepped in…I understand Zack…you don't need to continue." Vincent said as he noticed Zack's face turning white recalling the past. It was clearly a traumatizing experience. One that he wasn't totally healed from. "After everything is over…let's meet up and have a few drinks…to catch up." Vincent said quickly to try to cheer his friend up. Vincent truly enjoyed Zack's company and was thrilled to have his friend back.

"Yeah… that sounds really, really good to me." Zack said as he took a deep breath. "We should head towards Edge. Kadaj and the kids vanished…My gut tells me that something is going to go down…and what place better than Edge."

"I agree. Can I borrow your phone?" Vincent asked.

"Sure. What for?"

"We're getting a ride." Vincent said with a small smirk.

"Okay cool. I'm going to go grab my bike." Zack said.

Vincent nodded as he began to punch numbers into Zack's phone. Vincent smiled at the phone. Its very existence was paradoxical. The phone had been lost once Zack died, yet was recreated when he was revived. A truly odd phenomenon. "Cid. Vincent. Edge is going to be attacked. I understand that Shera is expecting, but this is of the utmost importance…" Vincent paused and rubbed his brow. "Yes…pick up Yuffie…"

LINE_

Zack stood next to Vincent outside the capital as the airship lowered. The trees shook as the ship lowered towards the two dark haired men. The door opened and let out a ramp. Zack walked his bike into the ship and leaned it against the wall. His gut told him that he would be needing it soon. Vincent walked next to Zack. "Sorry…"

"Sorry for what?" Zack asked Vincent.

"SOLDIER BOY!" A high pitched voice yelled as a girl came sprinting.

"fuck…" Zack said softly and quietly. Vincent heard him and let out a smile.

"How did you do it? Do you have some special materia or something?" Yuffie asked.

"Do what?" Zack asked.

Yuffie began to pinch his cheeks. "Yep you are real…How did you not die?" Yuffie asked like a child.

"Um…long story…Maybe we could get into it later…where's everyone else?" Zack asked as he rubbed his cheeks.

"They are in the roomy thing with the wheel…I think I need to lay down…" Yuffie said as the ship sharply turned.

Zack smiled. "Go lay down Yuffie. But stay awake. I might need to barrow some materia." Zack said with a smile.

"Not without a security deposit!" Yuffie said as she held her stomach. "Anyway…good to see you kickin again SOLDIER boy….urgh." Yuffie said as she walked away.

"Thanks for that…" Zack said as he gave Vincent a glare.

"I apologized." Vincent said with a small smirk.

"Yeah…apology not accepted!" Zack said as he gave Vincent a brotherly punch in the shoulder.

Zack and Vincent made their way to the cockpit. The door swished open and they were greeted by the small group. "Well I'll be damned." Cid shouted as he steered the ship.

Zack grinned awkwardly. His face was red. Explaining to everyone why he was alive an annoyance he had to live through twice."It's good to see you too Cid." Zack said as his eyes panned left. He recognized a red creature sitting quietly. "Red! What's up buddy!"

"Good to see you once again my friend." Nanaki said in his regal voice.

"Fudge Kid! How's you dodge death's bullet?" Cid asked.

"Fudge?" Zack asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Shera is making him watch his language." Red spoke with a laugh suppressed.

Zack looked at him with a questioning glance. "Um….why…"

"Shera is expecting." Cid said as his cheeks got red.

"Expecting what?" Zack asked as he rubbed his head.

"A baby dumbass!" Cid shouted.

"Oh! Congrats! Wait…Cloud said you guys got married?" Zack asked.

"Yeah we did. The blond version of you didn't show up." Cid said with a bit of hostility.

"We had a memorial there for you…" Red said as he looked at his friend.

"Aw thanks guys! I promise I won't be dying on you anytime soon!" Zack said with his fist in the air.

"Well that's good to hear…just don't go fuckin around this time." Cid said as he put a toothpick in his mouth.

"Don't you mean fudging around?" Zack said with a huge grin on his face.

"Why you little…" Cid said as he grinned his teeth on the tooth pick.

"And I guess you're quitting smoking too?" Zack said as he pointed at the tooth pick. "Damn…she's really cracking that whip huh?"

"Say one more word kid and we will be having another funeral for ya!" Cid shouted.

"Guys…" Red said as he looked out the window.

Everyone turned and looked out the window. "What the fuck is that?" Cid said as his mouth opened wide.

"Yeah what the fudge is that?"Zack said.

"It's a summon…Let's move!" Vincent said as everyone began to head towards the drop door.

Cid ran and hit the auto pilot button. Then he grabbed the intercom mic. "Brat! Let's move! We got a fight on our hands!"

LINE_

AN- Ok so this is a shorter chapter, but I think I have to end it here or it would end up being a mega long chapter. Also…Advent children was really really short if you think about it… My original take on it is about to take off soon so it should be fun! We have a few more chapters before the big one!The next chapter will be longer I promise! I hope you guys enjoyed it! Leave a review for me!


	7. Chapter 6

Howl at the Midgar Moon II

Chapter 6

Cloud rode his bike with great haste as he headed towards Edge. Marlene gripped his waist firmly as the two sped through the lands. Cloud let his mind begin to wonder as they stopped in Costa Del Sol waiting for the ship.

LINE_

_Cloud watched as his best friend dissolved into the lifestream. His legs began to shake as he heard Aerith shriek as her heart broke. It was truly unnerving. Even the dead heart of Sephiroth would have felt her pain. Cloud walked up next to the flower girl and got on his knees. He began to shake as he began to let it all out. _

_Vincent and Barret nodded at one another and grabbed Aerith. "This is not the place to do this. Come inside the ship." Barret said as he helped the girl up._

_Vincent turned and began walking towards Cloud. He stopped when Tifa lifted up her hand. Vincent nodded and followed the others into the ship._

_Tifa walked over towards Cloud who was grabbing the blood soaked snow. The man was shaking uncontrollably. His clothes we beginning to absorb the bloody snow. _

"_Come on Cloud. Vincent's right. This is not the place…" Tifa said as she held him from behind._

_LINE__

"_How did things get so messed up? I just wanted to be happy…I just wanted to be normal." Cloud said as he turned to Tifa with tears running down his face._

_Tifa frowned as she helped the blond man in her arms. It had only been a few hours since they had lost Zack. Cloud's clothes were covered in the last remains of the former SOLDIER. The bloody stains felt like marks of guilt…marks of heartache. Tifa wanted to take Cloud home but Midgar was in ruins…they had no home. _

"_Cloud. It's not your fault. Zack fought to protect us all." Tifa began._

"_But why did he have to go and do it alone! I could have helped! I could have saved him!" Cloud said as he began to cry once again._

"_Cloud…" Tifa said as she did her best to hold back her tears. She wanted nothing more than to grieve for her fallen friend. He had saved them all and most of all he sacrificed himself to protect the man she loved…twice. A debt she would never be able to pay. "He just wanted to make sure everyone else would be safe…Barret has Marlene…she needs her father…Cid has Shera… Yuffie has her country and her family… and Vincent and Red both have their reasons to live."_

"_But what about me! What about you!" Cloud said in between sobs. _

"_Zack died to make sure that…that we had each other…" Tifa said as she looked at Cloud._

"_But why are all of our lives worth more than his!" Cloud demanded answers. _

"_They aren't…but Zack knew that one life lost would have been worth it if we all lived." Tifa said as she lost control of her tears._

"_But if we all helped him fight Sephiroth…" Cloud began._

"_We would all be dead. I know in your heart you know this…Zack was the only one who could match Sephiroth's abilities…he would have killed us all in a blink of an eye. And Zack could not fight with all his strength if he watch any of us fall." Tifa finished Cloud's sentence. _

_Cloud looked at Tifa with broken eyes. "But I failed him twice Tifa…"_

"_Don't be silly… if you were to ask Zack that…he would tell you that you're a damn fool. You never failed him and he never blamed you. He loved you Cloud. You were his best friend…he loved you so much that he gave up Aerith…his friends and family…for you years ago. And he did it again for us all…and I know if he had the chance he would do it again without thinking about it twice. He loved us all Cloud. All we can do is mourn him and do our best to earn what he gave us." Tifa said as she grabbed the man's face and kissed him on the lips._

"_Earn this…" Cloud asked._

"_Yes…we all must earn this…by this I mean life. We must live life…we must be happy or his loss would be in vain." Tifa said as she stood up off the bed in Kalm. "It's time we got you out of those clothes…we need a shower."_

_Cloud smiled at Tifa. He knew she was right. He would make sure he earned Zack's gift. He would watch over Aerith…and he would become his own man. "Tifa…please throw these clothes away…I think Zack would want me to be myself and not the idea I have in my head." Cloud said as he took off the SOLDIER uniform. _

_Tifa smiled. "Good. I think he would want the same… let's go shower." Tifa said as she walked into the bathroom and left the door open for Cloud._

_LINE__

Cloud shook his head as things began to clear up in his head. "How could I have forgotten her?"

"Forgot who?" Marlene asked as she pulled on Cloud's shirt.

"It's nothing…I was just thinking about Tifa." Cloud said with a genuine smile.

"I miss her."

"Me too Marlene…I haven't been home in a long time." Cloud said referring to the fact that he had not been himself in a long time. Cloud smiled as he grabbed Marlene's hand. "Let's go home."

LINE_

Zack, Vincent and Red stood at the door waiting for it to open and begin their battle. Zack's face looked as though it were carved in stone. He was mentally prepared for battle. There would be no jokes; people's lives are at stake. The three all looked to their left as a green light turned on as the door began to lower. Zack got on top of his bike as the two jumped into action. They were quickly followed by Cid and Yuffie. Zack turned on the bike and shot out of the airship at a great speed.

The SOLDIER watched as he descended towards the city. The ground was covered with shadow beasts as a huge summon began to destroy buildings. Zack's eyes widened as he saw Tifa and Barret fighting alone. His attention turned as he saw Denzel and a group of children all chained to a statue in the town square. Zack watched as the large beast began to destroy the statue with the children still there. Turks began grabbing children left and right trying to get them out of harm's way.

"Denzel!" Tifa shouted as she began to sprint towards the beast. But her efforts were no use as she was quickly consumed by the sea of monsters.

Zack knew he had to do something if he wanted to save the boy. He tightened his grip on his bike with his feet. Zack jerk his body to the left and launched the bike towards the summon. Sin Bahamut opened its mouth in that ever instant as the bike flew into its mouth. Zack looked over at Vincent who quickly shot the bikes gas tank causing it to erupt. Bahamut shriek in pain as it flew up into the sky and away from the kids. "Thank god." Zack said as he watched Tifa run up to Denzel.

But Zack's relieve only lasted for a few seconds as he watched dozens of shadow crawlers surround the two. Zack landed on his feet and surveyed the field. "Hey! You guys looking for a fight? Well it's right here!" Zack yelled as he began to cut down beast left and right. He had successfully gotten the beasts attention.

Tifa looked at Zack and gave him a nod of thanks. Zack returned the nod and continued his assault on the sea of beast. He was going to have to leave Bahamut to the others to deal with. Someone had to protect the people. Zack charged and began to take on large numbers of the hounds.

LINE_

Barret's gun let out a barrage of bullets towards the mammoth of a summon. It was by far the largest he had ever seen. It struck an uncomfortable memory of the fights with WEAPONS. But this beast was different. This beast was different. The WEAPONS had usually ignored others unless they were provoked. But this summon was nasty. It was content with destroying everything in its path. It needed to be stopped.

In the distance the large black man watched as a red blur moved left to right sending several shots at a time. Vincent was a skilled fighter but he was not much use in a battle when he did not transform. His bullets hit the beast as if they were children's darts. Barret chuckled to himself as he watched his friend fight.

"Hey! Do your thing! Fight beast to beast!" Barret yelled.

Vincent gave Barret a nasty look. He had not transformed in nearly a year. He hated the painful experience of the transformations. But what hurt most was his lack of control he had over his forms. He was just as likely to go mad as summon. But if he were to transform the battle would be a short one. The man in red lowered his head. He was practically no use in this battle but he had to try.

"Where you been?" Barret yelled as Cloud let him down. Cloud simply gave him a nod and jumped towards the summon.

Cloud's boots landed firmly on Bahamut's face. In a blink of an eye Cloud sent out a series of slashed. In an instant Cloud jumped backwards and did a few flips until he landed hard on a steel beam. Cloud looked up at the flying mammoth. Swords were little help in a battle such as this. Its hide was far thicker than any blade. This summon was more than capable to take on a WEAPON…it could possibly have wiped the floor with them. Cloud knew that if this battle wasn't settled soon Edge would burn to ashes.

Cloud focused on Bahamut and decided that action needed to be taken and it needs to be taken now. With a great leap he soared into the air. Cloud reached out and grabbed Barret's hand. With a great thrust he threw Cloud higher into the air. Cloud began to gain speed as he felt Vincent's claw grab deep into his shirt and threw him upwards. His speed grew once more as his feet hit Cid's spear and flew upwards. Cloud was nearing the beast at a great speed. Hopefully enough to catch it off guard and attack it at an angle in which it could not defend itself. Cloud's eyes focused on Tifa as she held her hand to throw him towards Bahamut. Cloud gripped her hand as she threw him upwards. Cloud was now at full speed heading towards the beast. But Bahamut moved further up into the air. Cloud did not have enough to reach him. He needed just one more boost but none would come.

Cloud felt a great kick from the summon. Its claw dug into Cloud's flesh as it sent him downward. His body crashed through countless steel beams until he crashed hard to the ground. The others watched in horror as their friend fell. Cloud was their only real hope of beating the summon. They watched stunned as the beast gained power of the final blow.

LINE_

Zack exited the elevator and looked at the back of the two men. One with haunting silver hair and the other in a chain hiding his face from mankind.

"So glad you could join us brother!" Kadaj said with a sinister tone.

Zack took a step forward as he felt a tremor in his heart. _"What was that?" _ Zack took another step and felt another tremor, this time it was stronger. Zack took another step and this tremor seemed to knock him to his knees.

"_Come to me my son…let this world feel our vengeance." A voice said in Zack's head._

Zack felt his chest pound. A feeling of hopelessness spread through his veins as images began to pour into his mind. Images of dark clouds over the Shinra building oozed into his brain. Feelings of warmth flooding his chest as he felt a shiver of cold steel. Memory or the future, something Zack's mind could not figure out.

"Is something wrong brother?" Kadaj said as he grabbed Zack's arm and helped him to his feet. Kadaj looked at Zack with a bewildered look. "You know where mother is."

Zack felt his whole body shake as Kadaj looked into his eyes with a crazed look. Zack knew that Rufus had Jenova's head. "Kadaj….what do you need mother for?" Zack asked using Kadaj's terms hoping it wouldn't cause a stir.

"We need mother. She asked us to find her to bring _him_ back. Mother loves him most…but I must do what she asks." Kadaj said looking as though his heart was broken.

"So you need Jenova…to bring Sephiroth back?" Zack asked.

"Yes…mother said that you would help us. You need _her." _Kadaj said knowing that Zack had tilted his hand.

Rufus let out a laugh. "Would you really put the world in jeopardy to save her Fair?" Zack felt his blood boil at the sound of the man's voice. He still had bitter feeling from the past. But this was not the time or the place to settle the score. "My how Angeal would be disappointed."

"But we need to stop the stigma…this is the only way." Zack said with no belief in his voice.

"Our scientists are very close to the cure Zack. The testing has exceeded expectations. It should be available in a few days." Rufus lied as he looked out at the battle below.

Zack looked onward at the beast. It was beginning its final attack. Time was short. A decision needed to be made now. "Kadaj…he has mother…check under his robe." Zack felt his heart cry as he made a choice which was more than likely dooming the planet. Sephiroth was coming back and this time he had the score to settle. A motivated Sephiroth was the last thing the planet needed.

"You fool! You have sentenced us all to death!" Rufus yelled as Kadaj ripped through his robes.

Kadaj seemed to be elated like a child as he pulled a black box from Rufus's grip. "At last….mother!" Kadaj said as he stepped backwards towards the edge. Zack watched as he continued to get closer and closer to the edge. Kadaj looked up at Zack. "Thank you brother….mother is pleased. _He_ will be with us soon." Zack watched as Kadaj jumped off the building.

Zack turned and looked at Rufus. "It needed to be done…I'll put a stop to him once he returns."

"Sure you will… I hope you know what you did." Rufus said as he sat in his wheel chair. Zack stared at him and waited for an answer. "She will die…either from the stigma or from his blade. I hope you know that."

Zack felt his insides burn as he tightened his fists. "Rufus…is that chair Shinra Technology?"

"Yes…I don't see how this is relevant to the current situation." Rufus said as he looked back at Zack.

"I was just wondering….I hope it can fly." Zack said as he kicked the back of the chair with great force. Rufus was sent flying off the side of the building.

Zack jumped down with his sword drawn. He stopped for a moment and looked at Rufus Shinra in a net. Zack's eyes wondered as he looked both Tseng and Cissnei in the eyes. They both seemed to be in shock, but there was no time for talking. Zack turned and sprinted towards the summon.

LINE_

Tifa jumped down hoping to see if Cloud was alright. To her relief he was alive and pulling himself up. "Thank goodness. I thought I…we lost you."

"I'm fine…but we need to take it out now." Cloud said as he stood up. His eyes caught a quick blur. He knew who it was…it was Zack. Yet again he would be in Zack's shadow. A feeling of hate and resentment stirred within. Something that did not feel like his own feelings but yet they felt true.

LINE_

Zack jumped beam to beam in a flash. He moved as fast as any elite SOLDIER had. Speed that would put Sephiroth to shame. Everyone stopped fighting as they watched the hero go to work. Zack continued to move with blinding speed until he reached the top of the building under construction.

"Today is not a good day to piss me off." Zack said as he leaped into the air He jumped high into the sky. Zack grabbed the summons horn and flipped himself on to the top of its head. This was not the first time he had to overpower a summon. He had done it on a few occasions during the Genesis desertion. A feat not many lived to tell the tale.

Zack tried to stabilize his feet as Bahamut tried to shake his attacker off like a bug. But Zack was driven; he would not fail the planet. He would not fail Aerith. With all his might Zack drove the buster sword through the hard skull of the summon. In an instant the beast became motionless as it began to fall towards the town square. The beast crashed hard to the ground as Zack removed his sword and jumped to a safe distance.

Zack turned to see his friends running towards him. "Damn son! Glad to have some muscle on our side again!" Cid shouted.

"We don't have time for chitchat. Kadaj has Jenova's head." Zack said without the vigor of a champion who just killed a beast.

"What! How!" Tifa asked in a panic.

"We don't have time to talk. He was heading towards Midgar…my bet would be the Shinra tower." Zack said as he remembered the images in his head.

"We won't get there in time…" Cloud spoke.

"We will if we take the High Shera!" Cid said with great excitement.

"Let's get a move on then." Zack said not making any eye contact.

LINE_

Zack and the others slowed as they reached the top of the Shinra tower. Sure enough there stood Kadaj and his brothers. "Everyone stay here…I'll finish this." Zack said. He cared about his friend's safety but it was more important that he gain control of the situation.

"No. I'm coming too." Cloud spoke up as he looked at the raven haired man. He studied Zack with his eyes.

"No…I go alone." Zack said.

"No. Three against one is not fair odds. I go. That's the end of it." Cloud said.

Zack knew time was ticking away. He gave everyone else a look and they all understood. "Let's move."

Zack and Cloud both sprinted towards the drop ramp. They both jumped off and landed on the building's roof.

"Ahh! Brothers! At last our reunion is complete. Shall we meet our guest of honor?" Kadaj said as he held the black box.

In an instant Cloud charged at Kadaj. The battle broke out and none of their participants were prepared. Loz and Yazoo both charged at Zack. Zack quickly side stepped the assault. Zack placed a knee into Loz's chest, instantly taking to wind out of the man. Zack moved in a blur and slashed at Yazoo's gun blades. The buster sword tore right through them as if they were butter. Zack felt the hair on the back of his neck stand. He lowered his head as Loz attempted to hit him. Zack just grinned at him. "You're fast…but I'm faster." Zack grabbed Loz's arm and spun him and threw him at Yazoo. The two silver haired men crashed and were flung off the side of the building.

There was no time to celebrate. Zack began running he had to stop Cloud. He couldn't afford his plan to fall apart now. Zack felt an urge of energy as he heard the clashing of swords. Time was running out. The two men finally came into view. Zack was too late. Kadaj was bleeding from his gut and seemed as though he was on his last leg. Zack watched as Cloud lifted his sword to finish the fight.

Zack dove into action. The buster sword clashed against the First sword. "Zack! What are you doing!"

"Cloud! You can't! I need him!" Zack said as he tried to overpower Cloud.

"He needs to die Zack! He could bring Sephiroth back!" Cloud yelled as he grinded his teeth.

Zack kicked Cloud in the gut and sent the blond flying. Zack turned to see that Kadaj was no longer where he was standing. Zack knew that Sephiroth's return was near. Zack turned as he heard footsteps. Cloud was at a full sprint as he jumped towards Zack. Zack had to defend himself. He jumped into the air and met Cloud's sword with one of his own. The two friends now rivals were at war.

LINE_

Tifa looked out the glass and noticed that the two spiky haired men were fighting one another. "Why are they fighting!" Tifa shouted.

"They're trying to stop Sephiroth duh!" Yuffie shouted as she looked down. A'Hey why are Zack and Cloud fighting.

"I just said that!" Tifa said.

"Well it certainly isn't a good thing." Said Vincent. "Something seemed off with Zack"

"What do you mean off?" Tifa asked.

"Meaning he is about to do something stupid." Vincent spoke with his arms crossed.

"You don't mean…" Tifa said with her mouth wide open.

"It seems that we should prepare for hard times."

LINE_

The buster sword clashed with Cloud's sword violently. Zack overpowered the blond and sent him flying towards the roof. "Cloud! Stop fighting me! I can explain!"

Cloud got himself to his feet and looked at his friend with hateful eyes. "Explain what! That you doomed the planet!"

"Cloud…. " Zack began but was interrupted as Cloud made another charge. Zack quickly deflected the attack. "Cloud! Listen! I need Sephiroth!"

"I don't care why you need him! You put, Marlene, Denzel, our friends, and Tifa in danger! Let alone the planet! Hundreds…hell maybe thousands died after meteor. And geostigma has killed just as many!" Cloud spoke as he swung at Zack.

Zack forced Cloud back once more. "Sephiroth is the cause of the stigma! If we kill him we kill the sickness!"

"You think I don't want to stop it as well? Denzel so dying from it Zack! He has maybe a few months! And I know Aerith's condition scares you! It scares me! She has a few days maybe…" Cloud said as he realized his words. He had avoided the truth all this time. Aerith was dying. Hell other who were in her state had died months before.

"You see! I need this Cloud! I need Sephiroth! I need to save her! I need to save everyone! You would do the same if it was Tifa! Don't lie! You know you would!" Zack shouted as tears began to swell. He knew he was running out of time to save Aerith and the fight of his life was nearing by the Second.

Zack swung the buster sword with speed. He had dislodged the First Sword from Cloud's hands. But as fast as he did, Cloud had broken a piece off and continued his assault. Zack back stepped as he defended shot after shot. Cloud was able to move much faster with the smaller blade. But was still not the disciplined fighter he was. Cloud's footwork was sloppy and inconsistent at best. His moves were random with no real plan other than victory. Something Angeal would have killed him for. Hours of training and focus helped Zack stay tuned to small things as this. It made Cloud an easy opponent. Sephiroth would tear Cloud apart. Zack kicked his left foot at Cloud's right leg. At the same time he tore the sword from Cloud's hand and knocked him down on his back.

"It's over Cloud…there's nothing you can do. Stop fighting me and start preparing to fight Sephiroth. Together we can beat him with ease." Zack said as he looked at Cloud. Clouds face was blank his expression was cold.

"I like my odds." A cold voice rang from behind.

Zack turned and looked at the cold green eyes. It felt like a nightmare, yet he knew Sephiroth stood before him in the flesh. Suddenly it felt like a bad idea to allow Kadaj to get away.

LINE_

The sky began to get dark. Darker than any storm that has ever touched the planet. It, felt as though the sun would never shine again. Yet it felt like it was the first time she had truly been awake…awake in a nightmare. Had her vision of Zack been real? She needed to know. Aerith stood up on uneasy legs as she began to walk towards the door. Each step felt as if she were to pass out on the next step. Relief filled her as she reached the door knob. With a delicate twist she opened the door.

Slowly she walked down the stairs. The wood groaned with each slow step. At last she reached the bar. Aerith smiled as she noticed the children were sitting at the table coloring.

Denzel nudged Marlene as he stared. "Aerith! You're awake! We were so worried!"

"Worried? Why would you be worried?" Aerith asked as she waited uneasily for the answer.

"You have been asleep for a long time." Denzel said as he broke the news.

"Oh…well I feel much better now." Aerith asked as she looked at the two children. Aerith looked around and noticed that no one else was there. "Where is everyone?"

"Oh…they are busy…" Denzel lied. He was smart enough to know not to upset Aerith as soon as she woke up.

Marlene was smiling at Aerith. Aerith noticed immediately and smiled back. "What are you smiling about silly?"

"Hehehe! He's cuter than you told me." Marlene said.

"Who?" Aerith asked.

"Zack! He's really nice and really fun…and he's handsome." Marlene said with a blush.

Suddenly Aerith's legs felt numb. It was not a dream. Zack was here again. Aerith turned and looked out the window. Her heart sank. She walked over to a chair and sat down and looked at the sky. She could feel an evil in the air….something was wrong and she knew Zack was right in the middle of it.

LINE_

AN- Hey guys! About time I got to write! I just moved to Florida and it took a long time to get settled in. Moving was such a pain :P Packing blah blah blah…unpacking….let alone moving stuff from Pa to Fl. But that's not the worst of it! I had to get a new computer! my laptop broke. I was walking up the steps with it. I had the screen open and my cat kind of got in my way so I tripped and I landed on the laptop….needless to say it was gone. I needed to save my money up and get a new one so that's why there was such a long delay! I hope you guys enjoy the chapter! I'm working on the next one now!


	8. Chapter 7

Howl at the Midge Moon II

AN- Buckle your seatbelts….here comes some action gents! The Story finally begins here! (This isn't the final chapter! Far from it!)

LINE_

Zack felt a shiver run up his spine as he looked at his former commander. Cloud still stunned by the arrival of Sephiroth. Zack gripped his sword tightly prepared to defend a strike at any moment.

"Relax Zackary…I am not here to fight you….rather to thank you." Sephiroth said with a hostile grin.

"Thank him?" Cloud said as he stood up.

"I believe I already said that. My Zackary you really surround yourself with imbeciles. What did you think was happening?" Sephiroth said as he broke into a pace. "Fair you performed your task perfectly…now I returned the favor. Your women should be alive."

"Wait…you planned on bringing him back the moment you returned? Zack tell me that's not true." Cloud said as his eyes pleaded with his friend.

"Cloud…it's not as bad as it sounds…" Zack began.

"Oh but it is…boy." Sephiroth said as he looked at Cloud. Cloud's name was of no importance to him. He had done nothing to impress or challenge him. Zack was his rival…Cloud was nothing more than an annoyance. "You see…Zack knew that he needed me if he wanted to save the Ancient. I'm sure he devised that Jenova was the path of my return…isn't that right Zackary?"

Zack looked at his friend with pain in his eyes. He had not wished Cloud to know all the details. Sephiroth went out of his way to make it sound worse.

"You betrayed us all Zack…I wish you just stayed dead. I liked you better that way." Cloud said as rage began to consume him. His best friend had put the women he loves in danger along with the entire planet. Zack had told him that Sephiroth was looking for a way back…but he failed to inform him that he was going to lead the way for his return.

"Ouch! Such strong words from a _friend_." Sephiroth had chosen his words carefully. His poison had sunk in. "Now Zack…I do have to tell you something."

"What?" Zack asked feeling uneasy.

"I believe the score is tied at one a piece? I believe it is time we settle this once and for all." Sephiroth smiled as he looked over to Cloud. "If I recall correctly you were involved in our first skirmish. A visit home it was for you…oh where are my manors. How is mommy?" Sephiroth knew he had goaded Cloud into a fight. "Cadet Strife was it? Funny rhyme."

"Rhymes with what?" Cloud asked.

"With…I am about to…end your life!" Sephiroth said as he dashed at Cloud.

Cloud's eyes widened as he saw the hateful stare blaze as he swung his sword. Cloud raised his sword to block the blow, but Sephiroth's strength was unreal. Zack had been right. He was not ready to fight an opponent like Sephiroth.

Sephiroth smiled as he noticed a familiar look in Cloud's eyes. He had seen it before. Angeal, Genesis and Zack were the only once to never show it….they never showed fear. Cloud reeked of it. Sephiroth began to bombard Cloud slash after slash. He had no intended to kill his prey… not yet. He wanted to play with his food first. But Cloud would have to wait. His challenge had arrived.

Zack had added the buster sword into the fight. Sephiroth had greeted the challenge with a devilish smile. Zack broke apart the sword s and created distance from each other. "Cloud are you okay? We have to take him on together to finish him quickly."

"I don't need your help!" Cloud said as he watched Sephiroth move towards him.

Sephiroth grabbed Cloud's sword arm and his throat with the other. "You should consider his offer…you would be dead if I used my sword…pathetic." Sephiroth said as he threw Cloud violently into the building. "Now where were we Zackary?" Sephiroth said with a fake bow and a hand gesture.

Zack gripped his sword tightly. He knew that this battle was not going to be easy. Zack sprinted at Sephiroth and Sephiroth copied the gesture. The two clashed and looked into each other's eyes. Looking for weakness, anything that would tilt the others hand. But both men were well trained. They were not going to show anything until the end. Sephiroth pushed his sword down forced Zack to one knee.

"I'm not toying with you this time Fair. You will perish and I shall once again claim my right to this planet. Your loved ones will die quickly. I promise you that. You may die in piece." Sephiroth said as he disarmed Zack. He lifted his sword to finish his prey, but he left himself open.

"You'll never learn." Zack said as he spun and kicked Sephiroth's inner thigh and caused the man in black to topple over.

Zack back flipped and picked up his sword quickly. Sephiroth stood up and cleaned off his coat with a look of fury on his face. "Well played Zack. My form was sloppy. How Angeal would be proud of his pupil. 'Form, and practice keys to winning the battle before it was fought.'" Sephiroth said as he mocked his former friend.

Zack planted his feet firmly and reached out his hand. He waved for Sephiroth to come at him. Sephiroth nodded and obliged his request. Zack and Sephiroth both charged at one another. But both men stopped as Cloud jumped from above. Sephiroth blocked his attack with ease. And turned to block another from Zack.

But to Zack's surprise he felt Cloud's boot land into his chest. "I don't need your help! I can do this on my own." Cloud said as he blocked another one of Cloud's attacks effortlessly.

Cloud broke down the First Sword into two pieces and began to hack away at Sephiroth. The General blocked each blow without thought. Sephiroth quickly grabbed both of Cloud's arms. "Yet again…you would be dead. You are pathetic boy…you are nothing like Zack…only the hair…you are the empty shell of what he is." Sephiroth said as he kicked Cloud firmly in the chest. "Pick up your blade Cloud…We are not through yet…tell me…how does it feel?"

"Cloud…don't you will only give him the satisfaction." Zack said as he looked at his friend.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Cloud said as he turned to Sephiroth. "How does what feel?"

"How does it feel to live in Zack Fair's shadow? He's perfect isn't he? He's handsome, brave, powerful…what are you?" Sephiroth said as he looked at Cloud with utter disgust. "You are worthless."

Cloud felt his mind run. He had always been second fiddle to Zack. The most current example was less than an hour ago. He had failed to save his friends from Bahamut…yet as soon as Zack stepped in…he finished him within moments. He really was nothing compared to Zack. "I'm not worthless…" Cloud said with no real confidence in his voice.

Sephiroth moved with blinding speed once more towards Cloud. In a swift motion he kicked Cloud's feet from him. Sephiroth looked down at the blond and sized him up with his eyes. "Are you sure it's me who you hate most?" Sephiroth grinned. He had broken the dam. He let Cloud get to his feet and took a few steps backwards. "Now…where were we Zackary…before we were interrupted by this child?"

Zack gripped his sword for an attack from Sephiroth, but the attack came from elsewhere. Cloud swung at his friend. Zack ducked and dodged each blow with ease. Cloud was very poorly trained. He had no real discipline. Zack blocked a vertical attack from Cloud. The two clashed swords as they looked at one another. "Cloud stop! Don't listen to him! You are doing exactly what he wants!"

"It's your fault he's back! It's your fault! Everything is your fault!" Cloud said as he broke into a rage.

Zack did not want to kill his best friend, but the situation may come to that dreadful conclusion. Now was not the time to play nice. He had to beat Cloud before things got out of hand and Sephiroth poisoned his mind any farther. Zack broke the sword knot and shoved Cloud backwards with his shoulder. The two friends looked at each other. One had a look of rage and hate, the other a look of pity and sadness. Zack ran towards Cloud at full speed. He knew Cloud couldn't possibly keep up with his speed.

Zack ran up the side of part of the Shinra tower. He kicked off the wall towards Cloud. He swung the buster sword with power. The blunt side of the blade hit Cloud in the side of the head, knocking him out instantly. Zack knew if the blade had been turned around, he would have decapitated his friend.

"Well thank goodness one of us FINALLY got rid of that nuisance…I thought I was going to have to put an end to it myself." Sephiroth said as he approached Cloud's still body. He gave a kick to his ribs. "Pity he is alive. I guess I can clean up this mess myself." Sephiroth said as he lifted his sword to kill Cloud. But rapid clanks on Sephiroth's blades startled him briefly. He turned to see a red blur land before him and vanish as quickly as it arrived. He looked up at Zack to see a man in red behind him with a still Cloud in his arms. Sephiroth let out a bellowing laugh. "Well isn't it a reunion of Shinra blunders!"

Vincent turned to Zack. "I'll be watching." The dark man turned and jumped onto a ladder hanging from the High Shera.

Zack turned and looked at Sephiroth. He looked furious. The General had been caught off guard and he lost his prey. Zack's insides told him that a pissed Sephiroth was the most dangerous of them all. Zack's thoughts were interrupted as Sephiroth began to barrage him with attacks from his Masamune. Zack blocked each blow but just barely.

The two former SOLDIER's looked at one another. They knew each other's strengths and each other's weaknesses. Sephiroth was well aware of Zack's speed and superb battle instincts. And Zack knew that the General had only one flaw…he was cocky. Too cocky for his own good. It was the only reason Zack won the battle at the Northern Cave. But the Sephiroth before him did not want to play. He wanted to kill Zack and kill him fast. Sephiroth needed this victory. He wanted nothing more than to stand above Zack as he gasped his last breath. He needed to know that he was indeed the best…that last time was nothing more than a fluke.

Sephiroth let out an exhale and charged at Zack with his blade held high in the air. To his surprise Zack blocked and dodged every attack with perfect form. Sephiroth watched as Zack back flipped to gain distance. With a grin Sephiroth jumped. Zack had been predictable with the flip. Sephiroth grabbed Zack's throat and threw him hard into the steel roof top. The metal groaned as it was forced to bend form the blow.

Zack felt his body go numb. He had not been expecting Sephiroth to predict his movements this early in the battle. Zack grabbed Sephiroth's hand on his throat and gave it a twist to the left to loosen his grip. In the same instant Zack forced the buster sword upward, forcing Sephiroth to retreat. Zack jumped to his feet but gasped at Sephiroth kicking him in the jaw, forcing him of balance. Zack knew he was in trouble. He did not have the energy to stay in this fight. He had not eaten anything substantial since his rebirth, and his senses were sketchy at best. Zack jumped high in the air to bring a powerful blow down upon Sephiroth, but the man was nowhere to be seen.

"Tired already Zackary?" Sephiroth said with his arms wide open. "Pity…I do not want exhaustion to be an excuse why the Mighty Zack Fair….the savior of the planet lost so easily." At that moment part of the Shinra tower broke loose.

Zack jumped into action and began sprinting up the side of the falling piece. As he reached the top he jumped high in the air. His heart sank a bit as he noticed piece after piece began to fall. Sephiroth was attempting to seal him in a concrete tomb of Shinra's skeleton. Zack jumped piece to piece barely making it to the next piece before it fell. His throat felt dry as another piece fell. But this piece broke into two and bounced violently off of the other. Zack knew he had only one way to survive. He had to go through it. With one powerful slash from the Buster Sword the building shard splintered but concrete dust blinded his immediate sight. _"fuuck!"_ He had done exactly what Sephiroth wanted him to do. His thoughts were confirmed as he heard the wail of Sephiroth's Masamune. Instinctively he lifted the Buster Sword and blocked the incoming blow. Sephiroth's eyes gleamed through the dust. Zack put all his strength into his blade. He forced Sephiroth back into the dust cloud.

Zack jumped high out of the smoke and landed softly on the very top of the Shinra building. A place he knew well, he had fought here only a few years ago. Zack froze as he heard Sephiroth's feet land gently behind him. Zack turned to face his opponent but a deep pain entered his back. Warm liquid poured down his chest and down his back.

"Sad…I thought this would be more enjoyable…yet I find myself unsatisfied." Sephiroth said as he removed his blade. He wiped the blood from it with his coat. "Are you ready to die Zackary?" Sephiroth said as he kicked Zack in the back of the knee forcing him into a surrendering position. Zack felt another tear into his skin. Sephiroth had slashed his back. "I haven't decided…I feel this need…this drive to kill you…yet…" Sephiroth stopped as he kicked the Buster Sword away from Zack's grasps. "You see Zackary. Without you there would be no challenge. I would like something to entertain me as I bring this planet to its knees. I will use this planet as my vessel. Like my mother did long ago." Sephiroth smiled at Zack. "But first I need to drain her blood." Sephiroth said as he stabbed Zack once more into the chest. He made sure not to hit any organs or arties. He wanted Zack alive for now. Sephiroth picked his locations carefully. He wanted Zack to suffer, yet survive.

Zack fell to his back in great pain and watched the sky fade into darkness. "Did I pass out?" Sounds of a monsters roar faded in and out as blasts of gun fire and clashing of steel echoed in Zack's ears. He had no idea what was going on, he was fading in and out of consciousness. Zack opened his eyes and watched a winged monster fight Sephiroth. It was a dark creature, with shades of red. It also carried the largest pistol Zack had ever seen. "Vincent?" Zack said as he assumed the monster was his friend. He knew Vincent could transform and that he was quiet fond of pistols.

LINE_

The beast flew at Sephiroth at an amazing speed. Yet Sephiroth seemed unfazed. The Masamune blocked every one of Chaos's shots. Vincent in his strongest form was overmatched by Sephiroth. Vincent always knew that Sephiroth was powerful, but he had completely underestimated him. His speed and precision were unreal. This gave Vincent an appreciation of Zack's power. He had been able to defeat the former Shinra great two years ago.

Vincent's thoughts were interrupted as Sephiroth grabbed his foot and spun him. Sephiroth let go as he watched the winged monster crash into the building wall hard. "Hojo disappoints yet again!" Sephiroth shouted. "You were 'his greatest creation'…but I find myself…unimpressed."

Vincent pulled himself out of the rubble and looked at his foe. He gave him a penetrating stare. Sephiroth mocked his greatest pain. He had lost everything the day Hojo had killed him. Little did he know that the next time he opened his eyes he would be this monster. Vincent looked at his hands and felt anger consume him. His eyes began to glow as the air began to wipe violently. He flew towards Sephiroth and grabbed the Masamune with his claw hand.

"You see…I can fly too." Sephiroth said as he shot his right hand out. A large black feathered wing burst from his back. Sephiroth smiled. "You are fighting out of your class Turk" Sephiroth grabbed Vincent's hand and flew high in the air pulling his unwilling captive with him. In once elegant motion, Sephiroth tore the Masamune from Vincent's grip and forced the blade into Vincent's chest.

Sephiroth paused in mid-air. He removed his bangs from his eyes and smiled at Vincent. The beast was losing its shape. Sephiroth had won the duel of Hojo's specimens. Vincent was still as a marionette without its puppeteer. The Death Penalty fell from Vincent's still grip. "Next time…leave the fighting to us SOLDIERs" Sephiroth said as he slashed the Masamune and hurled Vincent from it towards the building's roof. Vincent crashed violently as dust began to fill the air. The Planet's top warriors had been defeated with ease. Sephiroth smiled as the sky became dark and the winged SOLDIER vanished.

LINE_

Zack opened his eyes and looked quickly for his foe he was looked up at a dark haired women standing above him with scared eyes. "Where's Sephiroth?" Zack asked almost in a panic.

"He's gone..." Tifa said to Zack. She felt a chill run up her spine as she looked at the dark haired SOLDIER. If he and Vincent could not defeat Sephiroth, than the planet was truly doomed.

Zack looked at Tifa with a questioning eyes as he looked to the sky. "The sky's black…"

"Yeah…after the battle Sephiroth cast a spell…it feels like there is no hope…as if I won't be happy again "Tifa said as she helped Zack sit up.

"Don't ever say that…" Zack said not looking at Tifa. "There is always hope. I will stop him at any cost. I promise you that I will make things right." Zack stood up and stretched his muscles. Being a SOLDIER had its perks. His wounds were healing quickly, in a matter of an hour he would have nothing but small scars. "Never lose hope Tifa…if you do…he's already won."

Zack's words rang as Angeal's had years ago. They were powerful and true. His words seemed to move Tifa. "You're right…there is always hope as long as someone stand strong and faces him…thanks Zack."

"Don't mention it." Zack said as he grabbed Tifa's hand and looked at her. "Where's Vincent?"

"He fought Sephiroth…" Tifa began.

"I understand. How bad is it?" Zack asked.

"He's hurt pretty bad. But he should be fine with rest and some medicine." Tifa said with a sigh.

"Tifa…He's looking for Aerith…he needs her dead before he can continue his work."Zack said with painful eyes.

Tifa knew that these words were coming. Aerith was his greatest threat. "Then we should move her immediately…keep her safe." Tifa said as a ladder lowered before them.

"Yeah we should." Zack said as his mind wondered to Aerith. He only hoped that she would pull through soon. He wanted nothing more than to see her smile again. But Zack's smiled faded as his best friend came to mind. Cloud hated him. He wanted to kill him. And his friends did not know the truth. Would they hate him as well once they knew the truth? Zack shook his head and put the buster sword on his back and grabbed the ladder.

LINE_

Zack entered the ship holding his shoulder. His wounds were still fresh and tender even though his SOLDIER blood was healing him at and accelerated pace. He could feel all the eyes on him as he entered the cockpit. Everyone looked a few shades paler. "Guys…I'm sorry…"

"Not yo fault kid. You are the best fighter out of all of us…we wouldn't have stood a chance anyway." Barret said.

"That's not what he means." Red said as he looked at Zack with a sympathetic look.

Barret looked at Zack wanting an answer. "It's my fault he's back."

'What do you mean your fault?" Tifa asked.

"I let Kadaj find Jenova's head…I wanted Sephiroth to return." Zack said as he looked down.

"You better start explaining kid before I kill ya myself." Barret said as he placed his hand on his gun arm.

"He is the reason for the stigma…everyone will eventually catch the disease….eventually everyone will die. Sephiroth wants to purify the planet." Zack began. "And I knew Aerith had it…and Denzel…I'm not going to let them die…no matter what it means."

Everyone remained silent for a few moments. But they felt like hours to Zack. "I don't blame ya kid…I'd do anything to save my Marlene."

"Same here for Shera." Cid said as his cheeks got red.

"I'd do the same for them too Zack."Tifa said with watery eyes. "Was that why Cloud was attacking you?"

"That along with other feelings he never let out… he has a lot held in…" Zack said as he looked at Tifa.

"I know he does…it's like a poison and he doesn't realize it…and he won't share them with me…with anyone." Tifa said as she fought off tears. "We should be at the bar now…let's go get Aerith."

LINE_

Sephiroth's feet landed softly on the rubble of which used to be the Shinra tower. The building once stood for what amazing feats mankind were capable of…but now it reflected the horrors of which mankind commits. It was poetic irony that the greatest mistake Shinra made was no standing at its basin. Sephiroth felt an odd sensation. One of familiarity, one of fond memories. But they quickly vanished as he looked as his reflection in the glass of the entrance door. He was a monster…manipulated by those he trusted most…he was nothing more than a tool. To be used and tossed aside once his use had been filled.

Sephiroth dropped two heavy objects. They made a loud thud as they crashed to the ground. Sephiroth opened the door softly and looked down to his feet. He made a face as though he had smelled something horrible. He was disgusted by the two silver haired men at his feet. They were both is bad shape. Bones clearly broken, and cuts all over. But the two clones had use to the General. Sephiroth grabbed the two men by their suits and carried them into the Shinra building. Sephiroth walked straight into the exhibit room. He ignored the tomb like presence of the lobby. It was mainly his fault…he had killed every last employee in the Shinra building. It was a vivid memory, yet if felt as though he had never done such a thing.

The two clones were dropped once more. Both remained silent. Sephiroth walked up to the model of a space shuttle. He clicked a button that was hidden on the belly of the rocket. The large Shinra logo in the center of the room hissed as the air seal was broken. Sephiroth stepped on to the logo and pressed a tile with his foot. He frowned as he looked down at the two clones. They were eerie shadows of himself. The man in black shook his head and refocused his thoughts as the hidden elevator began to lower.

"Shinra Reactor Zero…" Sephiroth said as an image of a reactor surrounded by a sea of mako. "The President should not have divulged his many secrets to his own monster…" Sephiroth said as he felt good for a brief moment. President Shinra had respected him and trusted him most of all. Sephiroth had been responsible for his personal safety and to lead his army…yet his blade ended his life.

The elevator finally came to a stop. Sephiroth grabbed Yazoo and Loz and walked towards the reactors hidden entrance. This was the birthplace of many of Shinra's monster. Sephiroth opened the door with a great kick. He walked up to two empty tubes and threw each of his clones into one. His backup plan was complete. As long as his clones remained hidden and safe, he would be able to return once more.

Sephiroth turned to leave but his eye caught something. There was a hallway leading to a room with a dim light. Curiosity filled him. He had to know who, or what was down here. As he walked down the hallway he could hear voices in the distance, but not near him. Sephiroth noticed that there was a lab seemingly untouched for years. He entered the lab with caution. Sephiroth silently walked over to a dust cover desk and picked up a file. He read it quickly.

He let out a faint smile. "SOLDIER…Deepground…" Sephiroth began to read more and more. "So…Genesis did survive…for a while. Seems like Shinra dissected him like a frog. Pity." Sephiroth put the file down and turned to leave.

"What are you doing down here?" Said a shirtless man with crazy white hair. "Well I be damned…"

"Who are you talking to?" Said a women's voice from behind. Sephiroth watched as a women in red walked up behind the shirtless man. "Weiss…that's…that's…"

"I know damn well who it is." Weiss said with clear nervousness in his voice. He had placed his hand on his sword handle. But stopped as he felt the Masamune on his neck.

"Who are you?" Sephiroth said with a hostile stare.

"I am Weiss….leader of the Deepground forces." Weiss said as he let go of his sword handle surrendering to Sephiroth.

"What is Deepground?" Sephiroth asked. He had known about the hidden reactor but he had no knowledge of an underground force. Clearly it was formed after his "death".

"We are the President's personal army and security…we are to protect him for…you" Weiss said as he looked at the man in silver. "We wait here until he gives us the command." In a flash Weiss had drawn his sword and removed the Masamune from his throat. He looked into Sephiroth's eyes. He was prepared to fight.

"Weiss…don't…the treatment is not yet complete…" The women spoke.

At that moment the words were spoken, he had withdrawn his sword. "But Rosso…if he is here…than it is a good chance he already killed the President…"

"The President is not of my concern." Sephiroth said as he walked past the two in the doorway. They both watched as Sephiroth departed. Deepground had been waiting for the President…their wait would be a long one. "They will rot." Sephiroth spoke as he exited the reactor.

LINE_

Zack felt his stomach drop as they neared the bar. He wanted to see Aerith yet, he felt like seeing here in her state would be another painful blow. Zack looked out the window as the bar came into view. He was not ready to leave the ship. Not yet. Zack let out a deep sigh. "All of Midge…I mean Edge…is dark…" Zack said as he sat down and looked out the window.

"Alright. We're here! Everyone off my damn…darn ship!" Cid's voice rang on the loud speaker.

Yuffie let out a giggle. "It's funny seeing sky guy trying not to curse!"

"Ha…Yeah…" Zack said.

"What's wrong?" Yuffie asked.

"Nothing…is Vincent okay?" Zack asked.

"He's in a good amount of pain…but he should be okay. Barret's helping him into the bar now. See!" Yuffie said as she pointed down.

"Oh…good. And Cloud?"

"Tifa's taking care of that!" Yuffie said with a grin. "Anyway…let's get going!" Yuffie said as she began to pull on his arm.

"I'm going to stay here for a bit…just to let myself heal a bit more…you know hurts to move." Zack said as he gave Yuffie a motion with his head at her tugging him.

"Oh! Sorry!" Yuffie said. "I guess I will meet you down there then!" Zack nodded and watched Yuffie leave.

All he wanted was to see Aerith but he felt two different fears. One that she was still ill. It hurt just thinking about her lying still. But what scared him most was that she might be awake. How would he explain? How would he explain to her that he was alive and in the short time he was, he revived Sephiroth? Zack let out another deep breath. "I guess I just have to man up." Zack stood up and began to walk towards the exit of the Ship.

LINE_

AN- I was going to do the Cloud Tifa scene to end the chapter, but I think it will fit better in the next chapter! I hope you guys like this chapter! Thank you all for your reviews!


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